Pokemon: Arceus' Book
by The Imperator 2 you
Summary: Arceus has nearly lost all hope in seeing Humanity and Pokemon some day living in perfect unison with each other. Seeing the latest example as a failure, he has decided to try his final hopes in a single boy from Littleroot Town. A boy named Jacob, and his purity of youth. Jacob has a hard journey ahead of him, but with Arceus' help, it might have just gotten a little easier.
1. Chapter 1

=Prologue Pt 1=

(The Pokemon and The Child)

_It all started one evening near Littleroot Town… when a Pokemon decided to test the spinning wheel of fate._

_This Pokemon had witnessed the good in Humans, but had seen the bad in them, especially the bad._

_To him, all Humans cared about the gift they shared, Pokemon, as much as they cared about a hammer or a letter. To Humans, he thought, Pokemon were nothing more than tools for convenience or weapons for power. Some even considered them nothing more than a means to an end, easily disposable and replaceable. There were quite a many that even considered them a commodity._

_It was as he was contemplating, whether or not there was truly any hope for his dream… when a small boy came across him… as he wandered near a stretch of woods and tall grass near his hometown of Littleroot._

(?'s PoV)

He walked slowly through the woods near the human town of Littleroot, having just left the realm he was dwelling to walk among those lesser Pokemon, and especially the humans. _***Just why do they treat them… us… like this… as if we're tools… objects to collect and trade.***_He thought bitterly as he used his powers to avoid all the wild Pokemon in the forest. _***Pathetic trainers… they squander the gift of the Pokemon they pretend to train. So many treat them as little more than toys, collectable, playable, disposable.***_

As he walked through the woods, he paused to once again look at the silly item the first trainer he ever encountered face to face that actually had the power to summon him, _him_. **(He was so pathetically weak, and he had the nerve to dare try and stuff me into that pathetic excuse for a Pokeball?)** He said savagely, using his powers to crush the flute into nothingness. **(As if a mere human of his caliber was capable of wielding my powers. I may have given them this gift… but they still do not understand it! Why…)**

He resumed walking, hearing a pack of Mightyena barking in the distance, apparently about to conclude a hunt that they had started. Yet he paid it no mind, instead continuing to try and figure out the problem he was confronted with. He had seen so many trainers over the course of Pokemon and Human's history, and observed so many bonds formed and broken, forged and shattered, tested and tried. Yet through it all, his mood was still the same, and the picture he saw was one where Pokemon were abused, enslaved, and treated unfairly. While humans profited off of them for their own selfish gains, reasons, and philosophies.

Sure there were a few exceptions, like that one kid from Pallet Town, whatever his name was, but one single trainer does not save his hopes.

Or does it?

**(I just want to see if it's possible… truly possible, for Pokemon and Humans to join together… united toward a single goal, and truly understand one another.)** He said as he heard the Mightyena's barks getting louder. **(All it would take is one trainer, just one single trainer… and maybe then the picture I see can finally be shattered. But there is no such trainer; there are no trainers that can change the views of so many. To humans, Pokemon are nothing but dolls… living breathing dolls for them to collect and trade when a shinier, prettier, better doll comes along.)**

He thought about the trainer that tried to capture him, and how he had crushed his 'team' with little effort. How the trainer had desperately tried to capture him with that yellow and black striped Ultra Ball, as a last resort before he could get away. As the memory came back, he remembered the words the trainer spoke, blaming his weak Pokemon for failing to weaken him enough to capture. He once gain seethed with anger as he remembered the words he spoke to the trainer.

(Flashback)

**(You seek to capture me but you are the one too weak to do so!)** He declared as he used his powers to take the flute away from the trainer. **(The Pokemon you sent fought their hardest for you, yet you would use them just to capture me? If you cannot see past the failures that are yours, than it is you who should be considered weak, not they!)**

With that statement made, he used his powers and took the flute that had been used to call him out, and left the Hall of Origins, leaving the pathetic excuse for a trainer to find his own way out.

(Flashback Ends)

In truth he would not have minded being captured by a truly worthy trainer, but he was never going to allow such a pathetic personality of a trainer to even attempt to capture him. He only appeared because of that accursed flute, and what the flute represented at one point before it was tainted by that trainer.

The Azure Flute was created by him, and was only to be used by a trainer who had achieved a deep bond with Pokemon. It was originally meant to be a gift, a gift enabling them to speak to him, to ask him to break the final barriers between Pokemon and Humans. He hoped that the representative, trainer or not, would have forged a bond with his Pokemon so that he could attest to how far the two have come in their world together.

Yet no, the trainer he assumed was the prime example of a Human's willingness to connect with Pokemon as a whole, turned out to be a greedy trainer who wanted to capture and use his power for their own goal. The truth was in how the Pokemon had fought for him. They battled for him, but only out of fear, to not hear his terrible words and think they were too weak for him.

**(Why can't I meet a trainer like the one I dream, a trainer that treats Pokemon as equals, friends, family… anything besides a collector's item?)** He said as he exited the woods.

In the distance he could see the small town of Littleroot; it was a town he knew was home to maybe a hundred or two hundred humans. It was nothing special when compared to any other dwelling area of humans, but for some reason he had picked this area to appear. Why, he didn't exactly know, but somewhere deep down he figured that the only hope he had for seeing his dream come true, would come from a small town like this one.

"HEEEEEEEEEEELP!" A young voice shouted in the distance.

He looked to his left and watched as a young human, a boy by the looks of it, wearing green shorts, a red shirt, and with dark black hair was running for his very life from a pack of Mightyena right behind him. Apparently the Mightyena he had heard earlier were these Mightyena, and the pack had found their meal for the day.

He knew that the boy stood no chance of outrunning these Mightyena, and the fact that the town was so far away meant help would not arrive in time. Yet still, all he could think was, _***What is a human boy doing all the way out here?***_

It was as the boy was running momentarily before something caused him to trip, that something deep inside of him took over. A single thought, and overriding will that had never before happened, told him only one thing. That this boy was too young to be a Mightyena pack's meal, which caused him to rush to the human boy's rescue.

In four leaps he was right behind the pack, and in another he was right in front of them, standing before their meal and the only thing keeping them from getting at it. **(If you want to hurt this boy, you will have to get through me!)** He spoke to them, expecting his appearance and the power of his voice to frighten them away.

Alas it was not as he expected, apparently these Mightyena were so concerned about their prey that they did not recognize him instantly. **"Get out of the way, that human scrap is ours!"** The pack leader barked, bearing his fangs as he did. **"He dared trespass on our territory, so he's going to become our pack's meal!"**

**(I will not tell you again, if you want to hurt this boy then you will have to get through me.)** He declared, not fearing this pack of Mightyena. **(I will not allow this boy to be harmed by you!)**

"**THEN YOU'LL JOIN HIM!"** He roared, and pounced in an attempt to overpower his prey.

The pack's speed was impressive, and their coordination was also impressive. Against another Pokemon they would be formidable, but against him they were no match. **(Cosmic Power!)** He declared as his eyes glowed brightly, and his coat glowed as well, increasing his defenses.

As the move finished the Mightyena pack countered with a four way slash attack while their leader struck with Crunch.

**(Hyper Beam!)** He declared as he opened his mouth and took aim at the pack's leader, and fired the beam just before the Crunch could connect.

The attack struck home and sent the leader back flipping, instantly knocking him out. Meanwhile his pack had hit their marks with their slash attacks, but the Cosmic Power did its work and protected him from almost any damage, with only a single scratch on one of his legs. He had to wait for a moment before he could attack again, but it was clear to the pack that they were outmatched.

They all turned and fled, one of them, apparently the pack leader's mate, grabbed him with her teeth and fled at a much slower pace.

Once the Mightyena were gone, he turned and looked at the human boy he had just saved. The boy looked at him in amazement, as well as slight fear. "Please don't hurt me, I didn't mean to hurt anyone!" He said quickly, covering his head as though he was about to be attacked.

**(Are you alright little human?)** He asked the boy, which caused him to look up in confusion.

"D… did you say that?" The boy asked nervously, to which he replied with a nod. "But how are you talking, you don't have a mouth like the other Pokemon I've seen. Uh… you are a Pokemon right?"

_***He doesn't know who or what I am?***_ He thought in surprise, wondering how any human could not have heard of him before. _***I wonder…***_

**(I can talk to you using the power of my mind, the words you hear are in your head, and they are easily understandable to you.)** He said to the boy, causing him to gaze in sheer amazement. **(And to answer your question, yes I am a Pokemon.)**

"Hey you're hurt!" The boy said, pointing at his injured front leg.

**(It is nothing; it's just a small scratch.)** He said calmly as he observed the miniscule wound.

"No it's not; you can get an infection if it's not treated!" The boy said instantly, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a Band-Aid and walking close to him. "Here you go…"

The boy put the Band-Aid over the wound on his leg, and this simple gesture touched him quite deeply, more deeply then he imagined. _***He just treated my injury, miniscule as it is, yet he still doesn't know who or what I am?***_ He thought, which only demanded him to ask his next few questions. **(Little human, tell me what is your name?)**

"Oh, my name is Jacob, Jacob Beryl." Jacob said calmly. "What's your name?"

**(I don't really have a name; I'm only what I call myself.)** He said. **(I'm called Arceus.)**

"Arceus… what's an Arceus… and why don't you have a name, didn't your mom and dad give you one?" Jacob asked curiously.

_***He really doesn't know what I am… what kind of human boy is this?***_ Arceus asked himself. **(Tell me Jacob… what were you doing out here, away from that town?)**

"I had heard from a trainer that a pack of Mightyena's Poochyena were sick from some bad berries they ate." The boy said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out an Antidote with a picture of a berry on it. "I spent my lunch money for the week to buy it so I could try and help it!"

**(You mean you were all the way out here, alone and unarmed, to try and help a pack of Mightyena's sickened young?)** He asked in amazement. **(What could have compelled a young boy like you to do this? Are you not aware that Mightyena are territorial and will attack almost anyone entering their territory without their permission?)**

The boy looked a little depressed at these words as he still held the antidote in his hand. "Yes… but I just wanted to try and help." He said sadly. "I really want to help Pokemon someday when I grow up, so I wanted to try my best and help that sick Poochyena. I figured maybe if I helped that pack, they might be friendlier to my hometown and all the trainers that come through there."

_***He wanted to help wild Pokemon, Pokemon that would and did attack him without hesitation, because he hoped they might be nicer to his home if he did, and he didn't even care that he himself might get **__**hurt?***_Arceus asked himself, amazed that a small human had such a will inside him. _***Is it possible… I found the trainer I was looking for?***_

He sat down next to the boy so he could be on even eye level with him, and decided to ask a very important question. **(Tell me Jacob… what are Pokemon to you?)**

"To me… what do you mean?" Jacob asked curiously. "Like do you mean, what do I think of Pokemon? Like are they like friends and family, because this one trainer I met said she thinks of her team as her family more than as Pokemon!"

**(Yes, tell me what are Pokemon to you, from what you've seen today what are Pokemon to you?)** He asked, knowing that the way the Mightyena acted would definitely influence him negatively.

The boy instantly replied. "They are just like people; they have feelings and worries like we do!"

This response surprised Arceus, he didn't know what answer the boy would give him, but he definitely didn't expect that answer. **(Can you explain to me, I don't quite understand Jacob?)**

"Well my mom doesn't want me to get sick, and she never lets me take any food from strangers!" He said. "So those Mightyena were protecting their kids like my mom protects me! I know they aren't being mean on purpose; they just want to keep their kids safe like my mom does! That one trainer I told you is the same; she never lets anyone hurt her Pokemon and protects them as best she can!"

_***Interesting… he's so young that anyone can influence how he thinks, but he's intelligent enough to has his own way of thinking.***_ Arceus thought, and knew that he might have found what he was looking for this entire time. _***I wonder… perhaps I should teach him… and perhaps as he grows he'll take those lessons and teach others… and inspire others…***_

**(Tell me Jacob… how old are you?)** He asked now, wondering if he had the time for what he was planning.

"Uh… I just turned seven." Jacob answered

Arceus stared at the boy sitting before him, and knew that at this age he could be influenced easily, and whoever that influence was would affect how he grew and what kind of Human he'd be when he was an adult. This was probably the best chance he could get, having not met another human who thought like this child, who wasn't already influenced heavily. He could teach his philosophy, teach everything he wanted in a trainer, and most importantly shape a future that he was almost on the verge of giving up on seeing come true.

Perhaps he might one day be calling this human his trainer. But before that day ever came to pass, he must pass many trials, and he wanted to make sure no human who ever managed to capture him, would not abuse his power. Like that one trainer that he met earlier that day, who failed to capture him.

Still first thing was first. **(Tell me Jacob, do you want to become a Pokemon Trainer?)** He asked probably the second most important question he had to ask.

"A trainer, I'd love to become one!" Jacob said happily.

**(Why?)**

"Because then I can learn more about Pokemon then I can by living here!" He said. "I can travel and meet all kinds of Pokemon, and learn what they're like and how to raise and take care of them!"

Arceus smiled, already seeing that his plan might actually work!

**(Let me ask you now Jacob, do you trust me?)**

This question was the most important one; he needed to know if after one encounter Jacob would trust him enough to spend time alone with him. After all, what he was planning meant Jacob would vanish from town each day for extended period of times. He needed to make sure these lessons were private, what he was offering could not be seen by any other human. Or at the very least, not yet.

"Well… I guess yea… you helped save my life, so I guess I owe you my trust at least?" Jacob said nervously. "Mom said if anyone helps me I should thank them always, so I trust you."

**(Tell me Jacob, if I were to offer to teach you about Pokemon, would you accept my lessons?)**

"You'd teach me?" Jacob asked. "Like for reals? I thought only a professor or a trainer could do that!"

**(I know a thing or two about Pokemon that no trainer or professor could ever hope to learn or understand.) **He said. **(I offer to become your teacher, and I'll teach everything I can about Pokemon that I would do for no other human, trainer or not.)**

"Uh… if I learn from you then do I have to pay?" Jacob said nervously. "Mom always says that learning costs money, which is why I can't go to Pokemon School or have a tutor. Should I start saving up my lunch money?"

**(No, what I offer you is free.)** Arceus said, almost chuckling as the boy offered everything he had for what he was offering. **(I only ask that one day, you will pass on what you have learned to others! So what do you say… will you accept and learn from me?)**

"Then yea I'll learn!" Jacob said excitedly, jumping up and giving Arceus a hug. "Thank you Mr. Arceus!"

Arceus chuckled in Jacob's head, amused at the boy's enthusiasm. **(My name is not Mr. Arceus, I have no name remember?)**

"Then can I call you Arky for short?" Jacob asked. "So I know what to call you by, cause Arceus is… hard to remember for me."

Arceus thought about it for a moment, and decided there was no harm in the nickname, seeing as most trainers, especially the ones that truly formed a bond, named their Pokemon. **(Very well, you may call me Arky.)** He said calmly. **(But remember; if ever you talk of me only ever call me by that name! Never speak that other name to anyone you meet. I am Arky to them and you, but when we are alone you can say Arceus whenever you want, alright?"**

"Okay Arky!" Jacob said. "Uh… where should I go for my lessons?"

**(Just meet me here every day by this stretch of woods at some point after sunrise.)** Arceus said calmly, standing up and looking back near where he left the woods. **(Don't worry about meeting me at exactly the same spot; as long as you're near here I'll lead you to where our lessons will take place. Now I have a gift that I want you to use from now on.)**

"A gift?"

Arceus nodded as he used his powers to create a special bracelet with a green gem embedded into it, and allowed the boy to pick it out of thin air. **(This is a special gift for you and only you to have.)** He said. **(It will keep you safe from any dangerous Pokemon around here, hiding you from their sight. So you will not have to fear being attacked as you walk here for your lessons.)**

"Wow, thank you Arky!"

Arceus chuckled again in the boys mind, admiring the gratitude and enthusiasm, and knew that he would have to take good care of this boy for the next few years. His heart was pure, easily influenced by those around him, and whatever influence that was would change how he thought. Arceus would have to do all he could to ensure that until he was old enough to understand the world around him, he would have to keep the boy's heart from temptation and evil influences.

**(Just remember to come by here every day after you have breakfast!)** Arceus said as the boy put on the bracelet. **(Now remember, do not tell anyone where you are having these lessons and make sure that nobody follows you her. These lessons are for you and only you; I do not share what I am offering to just any human.)**

"Even my mom?" Jacob asked nervously. "But what if she asks what I'm doing and where I'm going."

Arceus thought about this problem, and knew that if he was to ensure that nobody would question where the boy was going each day, decided that he would reveal himself to only one other human. **(Don't worry about your mother, I will speak to her and convince her to let you go.)** He said calmly. **(Trust me Jacob, I promise to teach you all that I can about Pokemon.)**

"Okay Arky!" Jacob said.

**(Now then, how about I escort you home?)** Arceus said, lying down so that the boy could climb onto his back. **(Climb on, I'll take you home.)**

"Alright!" Jacob said enthusiastically as he tried to climb onto Arceus's back, but it was a bit of a challenge.

After a few minutes they succeeded in getting him on his back, and Arceus turned toward the town and as gently as he could, ran toward it in several leaps. Wanting to avoid being seen, he jumped onto the nearest roof and soared over the town, waiting for the boy to point out where he lived. **(Which house is yours Jacob?)**

"THAT ONE!" Jacob shouted, pointing at a tiny house with a green roof at the absolute edge of the town.

Arceus nodded and floated down toward the house, landing in front of it and allowing Jacob to climb down. **(Until tomorrow Jacob, and remember what I've said, tell nobody where you are going and keep our lessons a secret from all but your mother.)** He said as he prepared to jump away before anyone saw him. **(I'll speak to your mother tonight and ask her to allow you to leave each day for your lessons. Don't worry about talking to her about it tonight, just relax and enjoy your day until tomorrow. For tomorrow we begin your lessons!)**

"Okay, and thank you again Arky!" Jacob said as Arceus jumped and in half his leap, was already far away from the town.

Arceus continued to jump in leaps and bounds, until he reached the stretch of woods where he had been walking in. Then he entered the woods and decided that, if this was to be where they would be spending their hours each day, he should make it as perfect as possible. Using his powers he first pushed a large section of the trees away so that they became impassible to all, including Pokemon. This left him a space about fifty feet wide in any direction to work with.

He turned to a small section of the space and used his powers to lower the ground and then raise Fresh Water from below up to the surface, creating a small crystal clear pond. Then he looked at the wild grass and used his powers make it shrink back into the ground. To the trees he once again looked at them and the nearest ones he made grow fruit and berries. He turned to the entrance and pushed the trees to close off the entrance, but made sure a small gap could be seen visibly from this side. Finally, he used his powers to make several cushions and pillows for him and Jacob to sit on comfortably during his lessons.

He walked through the entrance, and a few minutes later turned and used his powers outside of the forest to raise the wild grass a high as he could, so that the view inside would be obstructed. Arceus smiled as he admired his work. It was a perfect and beautiful learning environment for one who wanted to learn of Pokemon. There were trees that grew fruit and berries for snacks, a Fresh Water pond for drinking water, and plenty of space to run around and learn in. The trees were packed around its border so tight that nobody could enter it from any direction, and the grass was so tall and clumped together that you couldn't see through it. Only from the sky could one see inside the learning environment he had created. Unless someone knew exactly what was in there, and knew where to go, none could enter, but just to be safe he used his powers once again.

He cast a special Hypnosis spell on the entire stretch of woods where he had created his learning environment, one that would ensure that anyone who happened to wander close would continue onward, ignoring this area entirely. The same went for wild Pokemon, any wild Pokemon would ignore the area entirely.

**(Perfect, a masterpiece if ever there was one!)** Arceus said to himself as he just imagined his lessons taking place tomorrow. **(Now just to convince mother to let her son come here each day.)**

It was as he finished admiring his work that he wondered why he had used his powers so much tonight.

First he fought to protect a young human boy then he used his powers to speak to and even understand that boy, and then risked his appearance by entering a human village. Now he had created a practical paradise for the young boy to learn in and visit for the next few years. Why?

**(I want to believe that my dream is not a lost cause…)** He said to himself as he looked at his reflection in the water. **(Pokemon and Humans… living side by side as equals… as friends and family… and not simply as tools for one or the other. That is my dream that I thought of when I created all Pokemon…)**

=Ten Hours Later, Night time=

Once it was night time and he knew that most of the town was asleep by that point, Arceus leaped through the town toward Jacob's home. The home looked small when compared to the others around it, but Arceus didn't know how big human dwellings were supposed to be. At least until he used his powers to open the door and enter it.

The inside was quite small; the room he was in was as large as the house itself, with a low ceiling signaling that there was a second floor upstairs. He looked around and saw that the kitchen area was small, barely large enough for the cooking appliances. The living room served as a dining room, as well as where they cleaned their clothes. There was barely any room to move around with the mess of dishes, clothes, chairs, and everything else found in a home of poverty.

_***No wonder he was so concerned with money, by the looks of it his family has little to spend on anything outside of necessities.***_ He thought as he imagined that small boy living here each day.

He heard someone walking upstairs and knew that the mother had awoken to the door opening, and decided to get on her good side by using his powers to clean and neatly stack all the dirty dishes in the kitchen area. He then used his powers to clean all of the clothes and furniture on this floor and stacked them orderly on one side. Finally he removed all of the dirt and dust on the walls and floor that had been stacking up from not being tended to.

Seconds later a woman in a white nightgown walked slowly downstairs with a bat in her hands and look of determination on her face. "Alright whoever you are, just leave now and I won't call the…" She said angrily before her eyes went wide in amazement.

Arceus figured that the sight of a Pokemon in her living room which was sparkling clean and orderly was enough to silence her. So he decided to wait a second for the scene to sink into her mind before he spoke. **(Greetings Mrs. Beryl, sorry for letting myself in like this, but I did not want to wake your son.)** He said to her in her mind.

"A… A… Arceus?" Mrs. Beryl asked quietly, clearly not daring to believe what she was seeing.

Arceus nodded as he stepped forward. **(That I am, I'm Arceus, inside of your living room. Your eyes do not fool you.)** He said to her. **(I am Arceus, the Creator Pokemon.)**

"Wh… wh… what's Arceus doing here in my home?" She said nervously. "I mean… why are you here of all places?"

**(I performed a small token of appeasement in hopes that you will allow me to spend hours each day alone with your son.)** Arceus said calmly. **(I am interested in teaching him about Pokemon, so that one day he can fulfill his dream of becoming a trainer in his own right! I have other reasons but, those are merely to fulfill my own dream, and hopefully one day see a future that I once began to believe will never happen.)**

"My… Jacob… learning about Pokemon… from Arceus himself?" The mother said, not daring to believe it. "But why him, what makes him so special that you would do this yourself? We're just a poor family barely getting by!"

Arceus nodded as he looked around the room, despite it being cleaned and ordered, was still the dwelling of a poor family. **(He has a purity of a heart that I have never seen in a boy his age that has not been tainted or influenced by another's will.)** He said. **(I don't want to see that ruined, I want to see that pure heart remain the same and someday, teach others how they should treat their Pokemon like he treats them. He sees them not as monsters or creatures to collect; he sees them as equals and wants to learn about them so he can take care of them. I have a feeling he will change the world, and shape it in the way I want to see it become.)**

He looked at her with gentle eyes, knowing that he was asking a mother to allow her son to spend times with a complete stranger, a Pokemon no less. **(I offered him these lessons and he accepted, hesitating only because he feared he might burden you. These lessons are free, and truer than any other teaching could give him. I have already prepared a special learning environment for him to learn in if you would like to see.) **

Mrs. Beryl was nervous but accepted, and minutes later they were standing before the environment he had created. "This wasn't here before…" She said.

**(That's because I just made it, in preparation for our lessons.)** He said as he walked through the small gap in the trees and tall grass with her behind him. **(Keep close, it's not easy to enter if you are on your own.)**

They entered and when she broke past the tall grass, gasped as she witnessed the miracle paradise that Arceus himself had made, just for her son to learn in. "It's… amazing…" She barely said as she looked around.

**(There's a fresh water pond for drinking water, and fruits and berries to eat in case we get hungry.)**He explained to her, wanting to show just how far he went. **(This place is isolated and secured from the outside, no human or Pokemon can come near because of a Hypnosis spell I cast. The trees are so close together that they are impassible. And unless you knew where the entrance was and were invited by me, you would never be able to find this place. Only from the sky could one see in here.)**

"All for my Jacob…?" She asked worriedly. "But why would you do this for my Jacob?"

**(I told you, he's a young boy with a pure heart… one I don't want to see tainted before he's mature enough to understand the world around him.)** He said. **(When I first met him, he was trying to help a pack of Mightyena with their young, yet they didn't care and tried to hurt him. I intervened and saved the boy, and as you see, I was scratched by one of their attacks.)**

He looked down at the Band-Aid that Jacob had placed on him to treat the small wound that had already healed by now. **(He didn't care that it was a tiny scratch, and he didn't even know that this wound would heal very quickly for me. All he cared about was helping me right then, which led to me and him talking for as long as we did. I have never met another human at his age, who did not have dreams of becoming a 'Pokemon Master' or wanting to 'collect' as many Pokemon as they could, or wanting to become the 'best trainer' they could. This is why I have chosen to teach him all I can.)**

Mrs. Beryl nodded in understanding, still amazed that her son had made friends with probably the greatest Pokemon in the world with just a brief encounter. "So… why are you teaching him, if you don't mind me asking?"

**(I dream that one day… Pokemon and Humans will live side by side, not just in this world but with each other.)** He said, once more feeling that his dream might be possible with the help of this boy. **(This world is filled with pathetic trainers and even more pathetic humans, who all pretend to raise Pokemon but only so they may do battle with one another. There are some that consider them nothing more than a means to an end, and while this is not true for all it is true for many. But I envision a day in which a Pokemon will walk the streets in a human city, and not be seen as an object or someone's possession. I want to see that dream come true, and I'm willing to… as you humans say… gamble one last time on your son.)**

Arceus stared at the woman with a questioning look, and asked the big question one final time. **(I ask you now if you will let me teach your son the way of this world, the Pokemon world. I will not if you do not approve, you are his mother, and therefore…)**

"You don't need to worry Arceus… I want you to teach my son." She interrupted with teary eyes. "Just promise me that you'll teach him well… give him the education I can't because… because I can't!"

**(If you promise to not tell Jacob who or what I really am, then that is what I shall do.) **Arceus said as he turned to guide her back to her home. **(I have my reasons why I keep my true identity secret from Jacob, but for now he sees me as a friend and now mentor, his friend known simply as 'Arky'. He does not need to know anything more about me until the time is right.)**

"You promise to keep him safe each day?" She asked finally before they left.

**(I will do nothing less)** Arceus said with a nod.


	2. Chapter 2

=Prologue Pt 2=

(A year's worth of lessons)

_-Arceus' Memories-_

_When I first began to teach the young Jacob, I never imagined his thirst for knowledge would be so strong. But where at first I thought what I saw was a dangerous sign, indicating that he might go down a dark path that I did not want to lead him down, I soon learned was an honest effort to learn more about Pokemon._

_He is by no means, a prodigal genius, nor is he a quick study, but his determination to learn and understand shadowed every other fault he had._

_I would teach this boy everything about Pokemon, from individual types to dual type Pokemon._

_I would teach him everything, from the bonds Pokemon forge with their trainer, to their life time loyalty to their trainers, and even beyond._

_He would learn about type advantages and disadvantages, from how Pokemon can learn different moves depending on their type and even moves they wouldn't normally learn by natural means, depending on how their trainer raises them._

_He would learn of how each Pokemon's uniqueness could lead to great inner power, but only if the bond between Trainer and Pokemon ran deep._

_It mattered not how strong a Pokemon was, if its bond with the trainer is weak then both Pokemon and Trainer will become weaker together then they are individually._

_I would teach him much, but the one thing that I taught him that would be most important in his life… was curiosity._

_He never once stopped asking me questions._

=Day 1=

(Jacob's PoV)

"Bye mom, I'll be back home later tonight!" Jacob said excitedly as he ran out of the house after eating a small breakfast. "I'm off to see Arky for my first lessons!"

"Alright son, take care now!" His mom said happily as she watched him bound out and head off.

Today was an important day and he didn't want to be late for his very first Pokemon lesson. How lucky could any kid his age be, not even Jessy Garnet could boast what he was doing, sure she was learning from her big time gym leader father, but he was learning from an ACTUAL Pokemon! She never learned from a Pokemon like he was going to, how cool was that!

Eager to reach the woods for his first lesson, he ran out of town and raced to the woods where he first met Arky. He didn't know what he would learn or how Arky would teach him, but either way it had to be better then what he was doing before he met him.

The only times he ever learned about Pokemon were from the occasional trainer that stopped by their town for supplies before they headed off to continue their journey. He would ask what he could but they themselves didn't know everything, and what they did know only really concerned how to battle with Pokemon. If he asked how they take care of their Pokemon, they all say something different like, they battle and help them get stronger, or they groom them for contests.

He really wanted to attend Pokemon School, but because his mother only worked as a waitress at a bar, a place he was never allowed near, they barely had enough money to live.

This was a chance he could not believe had happened, the chance to learn about Pokemon from an actual Pokemon, for free! It was a dream come true, and there was no way he would miss it.

As he ran down the road and neared the forest where he met Arky, he wondered exactly where they would go. Would he just teach him in the road or in the field, where are they going to go for his lessons?

"Arky?" He shouted as he neared the spot where Arky saved him from the Mightyena. "Arky… are you here?"

**(Yes I am.)** A calm voice said inside his head.

Jacob turned to see Arceus, still amazed at the sight of the Pokemon. Arceus, or Arky as Jacob keeps calling him, stood at least three times his size, and he was a fairly tall boy for his age. His coat was white mostly, but a part of his underbelly and part of his head that flowed behind him was a dark grey. He had red eyes on his face, but no mouth that Jacob could see. Yet that wasn't the really got his attention, it was that strange yellow thing wrapped around his belly and back. They looked like golden… somethings… he really didn't have a way to describe what they were, but they were definitely beautiful. He looked like a Pokemon belonging to royalty, especially if the way he looks or the way he walks said anything about him.

He seemed to have that air of one who knew he was great, as if whenever he walked he was telling everyone, 'I am Arceus and I know I'm great'.

"Hi Arky, I came like you said!" Jacob said happily. "Am I late for my lessons?"

Arky smiles… or at least he seemed to smile the way his eyes looked at Jacob, before he knelt down and allowed Jacob to climb onto him. **(No, you are never late as long as you come here after sunrise.)** He told him with a chuckle, as he rose to his full height and turned toward the woods and walked through the tall grass that wasn't that tall or thick yesterday. **(Ready to begin your lessons Jacob?)**

"You bet I am!" Jacob said excitedly.

**(Then I have a special treat for you tonight, welcome to where you will be learning your lessons from this day forth.)** He said after a while, breaking through the tall grass and showing an amazing scene before him.

"Whoa!" Jacob shouted as he looked around.

There was a huge space that he never knew about before; it had to be bigger than his house! There was a crystal clear pond on one side, a lot of pillows and cushions scattered around the clearing, and a lot of fruits and berry trees on one side. It even had a beautiful view of the sky so that light shone in.

"It's amazing Arky, you found this place?" Jacob asked. "I never knew this place was here, where did you find it?"

**(Oh, I have my ways Jacob.)** Arky said, lowering himself so that Jacob could climb off safely. **(Now then let me tell you about this place. First off that pond there, its fresh water so that you can take a drink if and whenever you want. The fruits and berries are also the same, each day new, healthy, and delicious fruits and berries will grow so you can eat if you ever get hungry during our lessons. When we take our lessons there will be times you may be required to sit and observe which is what the cushions are for. I brought them here thinking you may like them.)**

"You did all of this for me Arky?" Jacob asked.

**(Yes I did, you see I want you to truly enjoy learning about Pokemon, and I want you to be happy and comfortable learning about them.)** He said as he stood up and started walking around again. **(Now then, we came here to learn about Pokemon, not tour this place all day, so what say we begin our first lessons?)**

"Alright!" Jacob said enthusiastically.

**(Very well… now the first thing about Pokemon that I'm going to teach you is that no two Pokemon are the same.)** He said, circling Jacob as he sat down on one of the cushions. **(While one Tailow may look like another from the outside, on the inside they are very different. Each Pokemon is like a human, no two humans are the same… Ah… I can see already that you have a question poking you…)**

Jacob nodded as he tried to figure out how best to ask it. "Arky… if no two Pokemon are the same… why do they use the same moves? I saw this one trainer with two Wurmples… and they moved and looked exactly the same."

Arceus nodded at the question, and continued to circle him, only pausing to answer his question. **(Each Pokemon learns its moves similarly to another of its species, up until a certain point in its life.)** He said. **(This is when the Pokemon begins to form that bond with its trainer that I will keep mentioning in the coming lessons. Now I'll explain more about bonds another time, but for now accept that this bond is what gives a Pokemon its true strength. That bond determines how both the Trainer and Pokemon grow from that moment onward, both as individuals and as a team; they grow together as though they were one being. After that happens, then the Pokemon will be able to learn abilities it couldn't naturally learn on its own. For example, a Pikachu learning Iron Tail, an electric type learning a steel move is just one of many examples of this.)**

"So… any Pokemon can learn almost anything!" Jacob said excitedly.

Arky chuckled at this and sat down next to Jacob. **(No, I'm afraid that even with a strong bond, no Pokemon can learn almost anything.)** He said. **(For example, a fire type will never learn a water type move and vice versa. But I digress; we were talking about the differences between two identical Pokemon. Now the first thing about identical Pokemon that separates them from one another is…)**

=7:34 PM=

To Jacob, that first lesson seemed to go on forever, which was just alright by him, because if he didn't have to return home for dinner and bed, he would have stayed with Arky and continued learning. Yet as it began to get dark, he knew he had to get home. "Thank you again for teaching me Arky!" He said as Arky bent down to let Jacob back onto the ground outside of the forest.

**(It's alright little Jacob, we have many more lessons to learn in the future.)** He said cheerfully. **(Now remember, come again tomorrow sometime after sunrise to this area like today. Don't tell anyone where you are having these lessons, and if you must speak of me around others, call me Arky.)**

"Yes Arky, I promise!" Jacob said. "Thank you very much for teaching me about Pokemon!"

Jacob reached up and, with a lot of effort even though Arky bent down, hugged the nice Pokemon around his neck in gratitude. **(It's my pleasure Jacob.)** He said to him, and stood tall again. **(Now run along home, your mother is probably worried about you.)**

Jacob nodded and turned to head back home, giving Arky one last smile before leaving his Pokemon teacher.

Today had been an exciting day for him, and he couldn't wait for the next day's lessons!

(Arceus' PoV)

Arceus watched Jacob turn and leave, and recollected the events of the day's lessons. He had barely even begun to scratch the surface of what made Pokemon unique from one another, no matter how identical they looked. While Jacob had clearly not understood everything, he was starting to get the hang of his lessons. What amazed Arceus even more than his willingness to learn was how many questions Jacob had!

He counted at least fifty seven questions by the fifth hour of their lessons for that day.

**(He has a long way to go, but we have plenty of time to get there.)** Arceus said as he turned to head back into their 'Sanctuary' as he called it. **(Plenty of time… plenty of time…)**

=Day 18=

(Jacob's PoV)

**(Now Jacob… do you know why Tailow are so brave, based on what I told you about them?)** Arceus asked as Jacob followed behind him while they walked around the pond.

"Uh… Tailow are really brave because… as kids they leave their nest at an early age?" Jacob answered nervously.

After their first few lessons Jacob was being taught about how individual Pokemon's characteristics represented their species as a whole. Arceus was teaching him first about Tailow because they were quite a common sight near Littleroot, but that didn't make his lessons any less complicated. First he explained that Tailow left their nests practically after they hatch, and because of this they have to learn how to be brave and determined on their own. The parents don't usually see the young again, but that doesn't mean they don't worry about them each day.

**(Exactly, and do you know why Tailow have to act so determined, no matter the foe they face?)**

"Uh… because… it's their way of growing up?" Jacob said nervously.

Arceus shook his head. **(No, the reason Tailow act the way they do is because deep down, they knew that their parents were just like them.)** He said. **(A young Tailow is no different than an adult Tailow, wanting to prove itself in the world. This is why Tailow is quite a perfect Pokemon for many a young trainer, because the trainer is usually also one who just left his nest, and has no real experience in the world but is still trying to prove themselves just as great as any other trainer.)**

"So… a young Tailow is just like me!"

Arceus nodded as he stopped walking around the pond and headed toward the cushions. **(Yes, you and a young Tailow are just like one another.)** He said, sitting down on the cushion and watching Jacob sit next to him as well. **(You both are just leaving the nest, and you have much to prove to yourselves and those around you. If there was ever proof that Pokemon and Humans were similar, now you have it. Pokemon help their trainers grow just as much as trainers help their Pokemon grow.)**

"Cool!"

Arceus chuckled at his enthusiasm for the subject. **(Well… we've been at this for a while now, I think it's time for a break.)**

"Lunch break?" Jacob asked hopefully, he had been getting hungry, and breakfast seemed like such a long time ago.

**(Lunch break.)** Arceus agreed and stood up to head over to the fruit and berry trees with Jacob.

=Day 57=

**(Now Jacob today we will start talking about Pokemon types.)** Arceus said after Jacob had jumped down. **(You know by now that each Pokemon is different, and no two are exactly the same. Yet this runs deeper because Pokemon have different types. For example, there are flying types, water types, electric types, grass types, fire types, and so on.)**

"Yea, this one trainer I met yesterday said he had a ton of different types!" Jacob said, remembering the trainer that he had seen in town showing off his Pokemon before he headed off to meet Arky. "Why do trainers have so many different types? Isn't one type good enough for them?"

**(That's true, many trainers have many different types of Pokemon, but it's not about having multiple types, there's another reason behind it.)** Arceus said. **(The more diverse a team of Pokemon the trainer has, in other words how many types they have, the better prepared for any situation the trainer will be. There are a few trainers out there who barely change their entire team, despite the odds they face. But that is alright, because this shows that the bond the trainer has with his Pokemon is great.)**

"But I thought it was always better to have better Pokemon?" Jacob asked curiously.

**(It's never better to have better Pokemon… you see there is no such thing as a 'better' Pokemon.)** Arceus said, giving him a look that said he was a little upset. **(Who told you this?)**

"Uh… nobody, I just guessed…" Jacob said, wondering if he had made Arky mad. "Are you mad at me Arky?"

A few seconds later Arceus knelt down to look at him face to face, and no matter how cool or calm he was, that look always seemed to intimidate Jacob. **(I'll never get mad at you Jacob, always remember that.)** He said calmly, giving him as gentle a look as he could with his eyes. **(You are just curious and are asking questions, there is no shame in asking questions.)**

Jacob nodded as Arceus stood back up to resume his lessons.

**(Now then, back on track, to answer your question before, no, one type is not always good enough.)** He said, circling Jacob once again. **(You see each type is strong individually, but that strength means that it has a weakness to another type. Now one type that has many type strengths because of the moves it can learn is…)**

"Arky can I ask you something!" Jacob asked quickly. "Can we learn about grass types first?"

Arceus looked down in surprise at being interrupted, but the surprise was replaced by curiosity in his tone. **(Why do you want to learn about grass types so fast? I was planning to teach you about grass types another day. Why the sudden interest in grass types?)**

"Well… it's just that I see a lot of grass types around town, and one trainer said he loved grass type Pokemon the most!" Jacob said, remembering the Bayleef he met that belonged to one trainer.

Arceus thought for a moment before he nodded in agreement. **(Very well, I'll make an exception this time and start with my lessons on Types with grass type Pokemon.)** He said. **(Now as you know, grass type Pokemon are very close to nature in terms of grass, forests, anywhere where plant life grows. This is true for all Pokemon types; flying types are found in the sky, water Pokemon in rivers and other bodies of water, and grass in meadows and forests.)**

**(Now there is a natural balance between how strong Pokemon are when compared to another type. For example, I'll use a type triangle to represent this relationship.)**

"Type Triangle?" Jacob asked, watching as Arceus' eyes glowed and a ball of water, fire and leaves appeared in front of them out of thin air.

**(Yes, you see the relationship is one of balance, one type is strong against another, but is in turn weak against another type.)** Arceus said as the three spheres floated closer to each other. **(Grass type Pokemon are strong against water, this is because water feeds plant life, and grass types absorb that water to become stronger. However grass type Pokemon are weak against fire types, because fire uses grass as a fuel to burn exceptionally strong. Fire is weak against water, because water douses fire and extinguishes the flames.)**

Jacob watched as the three spheres touched each other, and sure enough the grass sphere fed off the water sphere, while the fire burned the grass sphere, but the fire sphere smoked as the water touched it. Even as the three spheres touched each other, they never lost their size as each one kept the other two in check. "Amazing!" He said.

Arceus nodded as the spheres vanished. **(Yes, now then to continue about grass types…)**

=Day 92=

"Pokemon can have more than one type?" Jacob asked Arceus as they sat near the pond.

**(Yes, you see there are many Pokemon that fall under two different types.)** Arceus said. **(Roselia is one such example, Roselia is both a grass type Pokemon and a poison type.)**

"So that means Roselia is really good against a lot of Pokemon types right?" Jacob asked eagerly.

Arceus almost laughed at that response, but he still spoke with kindness and respect. **(Yes… to an extent Roselia is a very capable Pokemon, however it also means that Pokemon with dual types are susceptible to their dual type's weaknesses.)** He said. **(For example, Lanturn is both a water type and an electric type.)**

"So that means it's not weak to electric type attacks right?" Jacob asked.

**(Yes, but that also means it's weak against grass and ground type attacks.)** He said. **(You see, Lanturn is still part water, so a grass type Pokemon has the advantage against it. Yet despite being a water type, it also has the weakness against ground types, thanks to the fact that it is part electric type.)**

"So the type balances out still, it's strong against water and rock types, but is weak against ground and grass types?" Jacob asked wanting to be sure. "It may have multiple types but a Pokemon is still strong and weak against other types. Am I right Arky?"

Arceus nodded and looked pleased at the response. **(That's right; it's all about keeping a balance between each Pokemon, so that no single Pokemon is greater than all the others.)** He said. **(No matter what Pokemon you encounter, they will have their strength and weaknesses. But through it all, no matter what type you encounter you must always remember that Pokemon are living creatures. We don't want to face something that frightens and makes us feel weak. So we tend to avoid fighting that which is stronger than us, and prefer to fight that which we are strong against.)**

"I understand…" Jacob said, looking at his reflection.

He wanted to ask Arceus a question, but wasn't sure if he should.

**(Is something bothering you little Jacob?)** Arceus asked, turning to look at Jacob.

"It's nothing Arky… it's just… well what you tell me nobody else seems to follow." Jacob said.

Somehow Arceus seemed to figure that wasn't the truth of it. **(I am your teacher Jacob, if you have a question by all means ask it of me and I will do my best to answer you.)** Arceus said. **(I will never tell you to not ask a question, I am here to teach you all I can about Pokemon, and if you have a question concerning Pokemon then you need only ask and I'll answer it.)**

Jacob smiled and nodded, glad to know Arky would answer his questions even if they sound silly, at least he hoped. "Uh… then can you explain why some trainers always ever use the same type of Pokemon?" He asked. "Earlier I watched a pair of trainers battling, and one kept only using flying types, while his opponent kept using the same electric Pokemon. You said that it's not wise to use the same type because of their weaknesses to other types. So why do some like to train only one type of Pokemon?"

Arceus nodded at the question and silently stared at the water for a while, after a good five minutes he responded. **(You see, many trainers have what they call 'favorites' among the Pokemon that they meet.)** He said, and Jacob could hear the bitterness in his voice. **(They believe that one type is better than every other type, despite the obviousness that they can't win every battle they fight. However it's not their fault either, some trainers just find themselves better suited to one specific type of Pokemon. Yet at the same time, they are also more in tune with those Pokemon types.)**

"So… trainers are a lot like their Pokemon then Arky." Jacob asked. "There are many types of trainers as there are Pokemon?"

Arceus looked at him and nodded. **(That's one way of looking at it yes; there are many types of trainers as there are Pokemon.) **He said.

"So what kind of trainer should I be?" Jacob asked, wanting to know what his teacher thought about the idea.

**(I think you should become a trainer who makes good use of every Pokemon he becomes friends with.)** Arceus said. **(Now let's resume our lesson about dual types of Pokemon, another Pokemon with a unique pair of types, is a Pokemon known as Quagsire. His two types are water and ground, making it a formidable opponent for electric types.)**

"Why, wouldn't being a water type make it weak against electric types?" Jacob asked.

**(No, you see Quagsire is as I said, part ground type, so that ground type attribute makes it immune to electric attacks.)** Arceus said. **(So even though water types are weak against electric attacks, if the pokemon is part ground, then that weakness is neutralized. Now, since Quagsire is both water and ground, can you name the one type that is strong against both?)**

He thought for a moment, trying to remember what water and ground types were weak against, before he gave his answer. "Grass types?"

Arceus nodded and smiled in approval of his answer. **(Correct, Quagsire may be strong against electric types, but his greatest weakness is against grass types.)** He said. **(Because water and ground types are both individually weak against grass types, this makes the grass type even stronger.)**

"So that's true for all dual type Pokemon that are both water and ground type?"

Arceus shook his head. **(No, it may seem confusing but you must understand that this isn't true for all Pokemon with dual types. One such example is Kabutops, a Pokemon that is both a rock and water type. Despite being part rock type, which is immune to electric types, it is very weak against electric attacks, and especially against grass types.)**

"Wait… why would a rock and water type be weak against electric attacks… shouldn't rock be immune to electric attacks?" Jacob asked, very confused at how two Pokemon that should be similar were very different.

**(It should be, but the part of Kabutops that is water, makes him vulnerable to electricity.)** Arceus said with a chuckle. **(It gets very confusing; believe me when I say that the world is full of complicated rules, especially concerning Pokemon types.)**

"You're telling me…"

**(Don't think too much about it, but later on in your lessons things will start to make much more sense than they do now.)** Arceus said with another chuckle. **(Now let's continue with our lesson. Dual types have many advantages and disadvantages, such as the different move types that the Pokmon can learn, Pokemon of dual type natures, can learn moves that normally fall under one type, as naturally as two Pokemon of those different types can. For example, Lanturn can learn Hydro Pump and Thunder, thanks to it being both a water and electric type. Now this is difficult to understand so pay attention to what I have to say. The easiest way to determine what type of attack will affect a Pokemon with dual types the most effective is…)**

=Day 124=

(Arceus' PoV)

**(Now then the next lesson I am going to you is about psychic type Pokemon and how to understand them.)** Arceus explained. **(Psychic type Pokemon are by far the most extreme of all Pokemon to ever know, communicate with, and spend any time with.)**

Today's lesson was a slow one; Jacob had only just gotten the hang of understanding ghost type Pokemon in the last few minutes. Now Arceus was having Jacob go over psychic types, probably the most difficult type of Pokemon to learn about, raise, and take care of. This was because Psychic type Pokemon tended to form a psychic connection with their trainer, and their powers often frightened trainers to the point that they avoid them altogether. Yet Arceus was hoping that by teaching Jacob about them at such a young age, he won't be afraid of them when he grew up.

**(Now like ghost types, psychic types have powers that defy the logic of what a Pokemon can do that you understand. For example, they can move objects without ever touching them, feel and read minds even with physical objects in the way, and even temporarily bend time and space. This makes psychic type Pokemon very powerful, but also very difficult to raise and predict.)**

"Why is that Arky?" Jacob asked him as the two of them walked around the perimeter of the Sanctuary.

**(You see, when a psychic type enters the equation of any scene, many humans, trainer or not, and even Pokemon tend to put themselves on alert.)** He explained, looking at Jacob. **(A psychic type is able to read minds once their powers begin to manifest fully, to the point that without even seeing a person's face, they can learn everything about them. They can sense emotions and feelings more easily depending on how strong the Pokemon is, and what kind of Pokemon they are. This makes many nervous; because for them the mind is the last sanctuary one has in their life. Inside their mind is where they can express their thoughts about others silently, without having to express them verbally. However when a psychic Pokemon is present, such thoughts are not hidden anymore.)**

"It sounds like I should avoid psychic types then…" Jacob said nervously. "They seem really scary, even scarier than ghost type Pokemon."

Arceus looked down at Jacob, knowing that first impressions were very important. **(Are you sure about that, just because they can read minds, thoughts, and emotions don't mean they always will do it.)** He said. **(In fact many psychic type Pokemon avoid reading other humans and Pokemon's minds, except when it comes to their trainer. You see when they form a psychic connection with their trainer; they become privy to every single worry, fear, and joy that you feel. This is quite a blessing when you think of it.)**

"It is?" Jacob asked.

Arceus nodded as they neared the pond of water. **(You see the psychic Pokemon that forms a connection with its trainer, will know everything that makes that trainer unique and special.) **He said. **(It'll know what makes them afraid, it will know what makes them happy, and it will know what inspires them. This connection means that the Pokemon will be even more in tune with it's trainer than any other Pokemon. It also means that the Pokemon that forms this psychic connection will be dissuaded from forming a similar connection with another trainer. Psychic Pokemon do not make such connections at a whim, they only do so with trainers or humans that they absolutely trust, because that connection works both ways.)**

"It does?"

**(Yes, a psychic type Pokemon that forms such a connection not only becomes knowledgeable to their trainer's thoughts and feelings, but it exposes its own mind to their trainer.)** He said, looking at his student's eyes. **(Their trainer starts to become more and more privy to the Pokemon's mind as time and the bond between them grows deeper. Eventually the Pokemon's personality begins to change, ever so subtly, to closely resemble their trainer's, while still maintaining its unique identity. It's a beautiful thing for both Pokemon and Human, it shows just how connected the two are, and makes them both stronger and closer than they would be on their own. You see when this connection is formed the Pokemon actually starts to grow even stronger, because it becomes stronger thanks to borrowing the strength of its trainer.)**

"Wait, you mean they lend each other their strength?" Jacob asked.

**(Indeed, both trainer and Pokemon become stronger together through their travels and trials, and this strength is shared between both of them. However for psychic types they can actually borrow their trainer's strength, thanks to that connection that the two share. When a psychic Pokemon's own strength is not enough, sometimes the strength of its trainer is what it takes to overcome a trial. Of course it won't just take your strength at a whim, it usually only does so with your permission. It's a symbol of trust between the two, the Pokemon trust it's trainer with its mind and the trainer trusts the Pokemon with their strength.)**

"So… I shouldn't be afraid of psychic types then?" Jacob asked.

**(Never, you should never be afraid of any Pokemon Jacob, because when you start to fear any single type then you ignore what makes that Pokemon shine.)** He said as a sudden thought came to mind. **(But you should be weary of psychic types nonetheless.)**

"Why?"

**(Because they can decide to pull pranks like… this!) **He said, and used his powers to trip Jacob so that he fell into the pond.

"Hey!" Jacob shouted. "You did that on purpose!"

Arceus chuckled as he saw his student wet from falling into the pond. **(I said, be weary of psychic types didn't I?)** He said, not attempting to hide his amusement at the scene.

He normally avoided using his powers to perform such silly acts, but because Jacob had been diligent with his lessons, despite never fully understanding them half the time, he decided to treat the boy on occasions. Whether it be making a fool of Jacob to teach him about certain move types, or to demonstrate a lesson he was having a hard time understanding, it was done in good fun and to educate him.

Also he wanted to have a little fun after over a hundred straight days of teaching the boy.

=Day 205=

Arceus brought Jacob into the sanctuary and showed him several large piles of berries that he had brought in for the next month worth of lessons. In total there were ten piles of berries, each one a different type of berry that performed a different benefit for Pokemon that ate them. Unless of course you were making medicine with them, in which case you needed to use multiple berries of the same time to create a medicine. However that would be taught later, for today he was simply introducing him to the berries.

"Whoa, are these all berries?" Jacob asked excitedly as he ran over to the piles. "How come they all look different? And how come they don't look anything like the berries here?"

**(These are some basic berries for feeding and taking care of Pokemon.)** He said. **(The reason why they look different is because they are different, each of these berry piles represent a different kind of berry. Now each of these berries you will no doubt see in your life, and they grow in small trees not unlike the ones you see here in the Sanctuary. However while these berries are just meant for you and me to eat when we get hungry, that is all they do. These berries however, are very special in that they can help a Pokemon when they are eaten by them.)**

"Can I eat them?" Jacob asked.

Arceus chuckled. **(Yes… you can eat them, but they won't do anything for you besides fill your belly and maybe rid you of a headache or two.)** He said. **(However what they do for Pokemon is quite a lot. Let's start off with the most basic and by far most common, the Oran Berries.)**

Arceus walked over and looked down with Jacob at the right most pile of berries, each one a tiny blue berry that seemed ready to explode its juice at the slightest provocation. **(This Oran Berry is full of nutrients and vitamins vital for any Pokemon to grow healthy, and when they eat these on a daily basis, they will become stronger over time.)** He said as Jacob picked one up to examine it closer. **(Most trainers stock up on them whenever they get the chance, and because they are quick to grow, you can usually find some to harvest wherever you go. They don't taste too bad also, but they really lack any individual taste, so don't expect any Pokemon to be willing to snack on these berries as they are without something to sweeten them to their taste. However their main use is in the short term, those extra nutrients and vitamins help restore strength and stamina, especially after a long and difficult battle.)**

Arceus watched Jacob take a few of the berries and eat them, testing how they tasted, and watched him stick out his tongue in disgust. "You're right, they taste terrible!" He said.

**(I told you, but don't worry the next one is a little different, and has some flavor. This next berry is a little scarcer but nonetheless is easy to find. They are called Cheri Berries.) **He led him to the second pile, a pile of small red berries, each of which was connected to a single curling stem. **(These and some of the others her are capable of curing Pokemon of certain afflictions, such as burns and poisons. This particular berry is capable of curing a Pokemon of paralysis, simply by being eaten. A few of these berries is more than enough for most cases of paralysis, but for a severe case you'll need to seek out more powerful solutions. Humans have created special medicine to cure these afflictions, but sometimes the more natural means are better. That and trainers prefer them because these berries are, after all, free and easy to harvest.)**

He moved on to the next berry pile in line, a pile of purple berries. "I think I've seen these before, aren't they Chesto Berries?" Jacob asked as he picked one up.

**(Yes, and can you tell me what it does?)**

"Uh… it cures poison right?" Jacob asked. "I think one trainer was talking about this berry before… I think…"

**(No… it doesn't cure poison, what the Chesto Berry does do is make a Pokemon less likely to fall asleep during a battle. This is because it's packed full of caffeine, allowing a Pokemon to shrug off sleep and keep it awake. However you shouldn't feed this to Pokemon on a daily basis because it's not healthy, for Pokemon or humans.)**

They moved on to the next pile, comprising of peach colored berries. **(These are the berries that cure poisons, they are called Pecha Berries.)** He said. **(They are very tasty, and they have to be because it inspires Pokemon to eat them. Pecha berries can cure most poisons, and must be eaten in bulk depending on the poison. The more serious poisons however, you'll need to combine these Berries with certain herbs and plants to strengthen the effect.)**

The next pile was full of a light blue berry with green leaves poking out. **(These are called Rawst Berries, and they are especially useful, especially for trainers who are around fire type Pokemon. The juices in this berry are good for curing burns, and they are effective against all but the most severe burns. You simply have to squeeze the juice out of the berry over the burn for it to take effect. However the more severe the burn, the more juice it will take. Only the most severe of burns are beyond this berry's range, those require more specialized medicine that humans have developed.)**

The next pile was comprised of yellow berries, each with green spots on them. "Aspear Berries!"

**(Correct, these berries help cure freezing, and are especially needed for trainers who are around ice type Pokemon. Eat one and you'll see why they are effective against freezing temperatures.)**

Arceus watched as Jacob ate one of the berries and instantly ran to the pond to take a drink, all the while screaming, "HOT, HOT, HOT, HOT!"

Arceus chuckled again as he watched Jacob running. **(That's right; because it's so warm it's best to eat only if you've been in the freezing temperatures for extended periods of time. Or if you were hit by an ice beam, either way suffices.)**

=Day 257=

(Jacob's PoV)

Jacob was really happy to be learning about Pokemon, but after nearly a year, he never imagined that there was still so much to learn. It had taken him forever to get the hang of berries and how they could be used. Then Arceus had him learning about how to make on the spot medicine using nothing but berries, leaves, herbs, roots, and rocks to grind the berries into a special mixture that he could bottle and use for later if he had to. It too him a good ten days of practice to learn about the different herbs, and even then he still didn't remember them all, but thanks to that he could create special medicine to help cure poisons and burns. Paralysis however was another story, but Arky said that this kind of knowledge comes with practice and years. He wasn't expected to become a master in under a year, but knowing the basics and knowing how to use these berries was good to learn.

His latest lesson today was about evolution, and how to make sure a Pokemon's evolution from it's basic to its evolved form was a healthy transition for it. Yet despite that he always wondered one thing, which is what he did the moment Arceus began to talk about the lesson. "Why do Pokemon evolve Arky?"

Arceus looked at him, and though by now he should be used to it, the way his face looked just seemed to scream that he shouldn't be asking questions. Arceus looked so serious no matter how much he chuckled or how nice he acted, but this was still Jacob's teacher, and he would always appreciate the lessons he was getting from this Pokemon. A better teacher he could not have asked for.

**(That is a very good question Jacob, one I was going to answer anyway.)** He said with a smile, or as close as a smile as a Pokemon can give using only it's eyes. **(Pokemon evolve for many reasons, but the most basic and common answer is in response to its trainer's heart and actions. Many Pokemon evolve, especially those that travel with their trainers, evolve depending on what happens when they are around their trainers. For most of these Pokemon, that 'something' usually involves a battle, particularly if they feel themselves incapable yet their trainer truly believes in them. For others it's the experience of sharing an experience of some kind with their trainers. And others still evolve because of the emotion they most experience from their trainer for them, and sometimes how they feel for their trainer. Yet there are those that need a little something extra to evolve, and can only do so through the aid of an element stone.)**

"Element stone?" Jacob asked.

**(Element stones, we'll talk about those another day but, they are stones that help evolve a Pokemon thanks to special energies trapped inside of them.)** Arceus said. **(Now, back onto what makes Pokemon evolve, we'll discuss the first method, a Trainer's utter belief in them. Many Pokemon during battle find themselves sometimes facing overwhelming odds, and this sometimes pushes them to go beyond what they can normally do. Even though their trainers would normally stop them, even retreat if possible, the Pokemon will try to tough it out, determined to not let their trainer down. The Pokemon can tell that their trainer had faith in them, and if that connection is strong, they will even evolve on the spot with the help of that inner strength that the two share. It rarely happens, but it has been known to occur among Pokemon that travel with their trainers, while enduring difficult challenges with them.)**

"So does that mean you can get a Pokemon to evolve just by pitting it against really strong Pokemon?" Jacob asked. "I know it sounds bad but… can you?"

Arceus shook his head as he replied. **(No because that will have the opposite effect, if you pit a weak Pokemon against a much stronger one, when it clearly would have no chance of winning, even if you have faith in it. Unless you truly think the Pokemon can win in its current form, it will have absolutely no effect, and it will make your Pokemon truly despise you when it learns that you simply tried to make it evolve through its suffering.)**

Arceus walked in a circle around Jacob, who always wondered why he did that. **(The second means of evolving, evolution through experiencing a memorable moment that connected the two as partners. This is by far the rarest form, but it can happen. Sometimes memorable events happen that both trainer and Pokemon share, and through those moments, something touches deep inside the Pokemon and its trainer that triggers the evolution to occur. It is difficult to predict or even understand what events will cause this to happen, but when it is going to happen, both trainer and Pokemon will sense it instinctively.)**

**(The third method, evolution based on the feelings of the trainer for the Pokemon and vice versa, is by far the most common occurrence. You see many Pokemon evolve thanks to the help of their trainers, especially with the help of their emotions for them. When a trainer is happy and shows it visually to them, whether it be through a hug after a tough battle, or even deeper such as saving their life at the risk of their own, these acts can reach into the Pokemon's heart and bring forth that inner power, aiding in their evolution.)**

**(Tell me Jacob, do you know why it is never wise to anger a Gyrados, especially one raised by a trainer?)** Arceus asked suddenly.

"Uh… what's a Gyrados?"

**(A Gyrados is a dragon type Pokemon, and one of the most feared evolved Pokemon on the seas.)** Arceus said, sounding very serious, more serious than usual. **(They are probably one of the most dangerous, most lethal, most violent Pokemon ever to grace existence. Their ferocity is known far and wide across water type Pokemon trainers, because to enrage a Gyrados is to ask for death. I sound serious because I am; never anger a Gyrados, especially one raised by a trainer. Gyrados evolves using the emotion of anger, and it's either directed at its trainer or at trainers laughing at its trainer. Trainers that scorn the Gyrados' previous form more often feel the wrath of the very Pokemon they despised. But those that make fun of the Gyrados' trainer, for raising its unevolved form will face its wrath.)**

Arceus continued to stare at Jacob with his intense look, although to Jacob Arceus always looked intense no matter how he acted. **(However, there is some good in raising such a Pokemon, for if you manage to be on a Gyrados' good side, it will prove your faith in it worthwhile. For indeed, it will fight an army of Pokemon without hesitation, because of the anger it felt that those that shunned it for being weak and pathetic. This is why I tell you; treat the Pokemon you raise and meet with the same love and devotion you would treat your favorite. Because you never know, what a Pokemon will do to you if you treat it unfairly. We have our own feelings and emotions, always remember that Jacob. Now I won't tell you what Gyrados evolves from, that is something you must learn on your own, understand?)**

Jacob nodded, even though he never once thought of Pokemon never having feelings or emotions. As for what Gyrados evolved from, he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to if it evolved into such a terrifying Pokemon, but he also never forgot what Arceus told him about psychic Pokemon.

**(Now then, we'll discuss evolution stones, or as I called them before, element stones, another day. For now let's continue talking about evolution through the other means. Going back to the first method, it only works if you truly have a connection with your Pokemon, or as I keep calling it, a bond. This bond affects how your Pokemon in several ways, and influences how they will evolve by…)**

=Day 342=

(Arceus' PoV)

Jacob had turned eight, it was nearly a full year since they began their lessons, and already Arceus could tell that he had much to learn still about Pokemon. He had yet to truly master and understand everything, but that didn't matter, his plan was that they'd revisit subjects that he hadn't quite understood while still covering new subjects.

However now that he had gotten a grasp on what made Pokemon different from one another, how they connected to their trainers and what it was about them that inspired great power inside, it was time to cover the subject that he had wanted to cover since the beginning.

What a 'bond' between a Pokemon and its trainer was.

Arceus looked at Jacob as they both sat on the cushions, having taken a short break before they began the next lesson. Jacob was snacking on one of the fruits that grew in the Sanctuary, which he said were delicious. He was still amazed that this boy had toughed out every lesson Arceus put before him, and never once lost his enthusiasm for the subject as long as it concerned Pokemon.

There were still many lessons for Jacob to learn, some he would have to learn on his own, but Arceus was determined to make sure that every iota of knowledge he could share and teach Jacob, he would give him. Jacob was probably Arceus' last hope to bring a message to all Pokemon and Humans, and he was determined to make the most of it.

Yet after a year of lessons, he had grown very fond of the boy. He actually enjoyed teaching the lessons more and more each day. He had all this knowledge, but almost nobody to share it with. So the fact that he found Jacob was a clear sign that he had made the right choice to pin his hopes on.

However he had a long way to go still, and as the road would be hard, he needed to be as prepared as he could be.

**(Alright, shall we begin our next lesson?)** Arceus asked as Jacob finished eating his lunch.

"Yea!" Jacob said happily. "So what's the next lesson, more about Pokemon types?"

**(No, this next lesson will cover a topic I've been talking about all this time.)** He said, not getting up because there was no need to. **(Our next lesson is about bonds, specifically the bond that is formed between Pokemon and Trainer.)**

"Really?" Jacob asked excitedly. "Are you really ganna talk about what a bond is now?"

Arceus nodded as he thought about how best to explain it. **(Yes, as you know Pokemon that spend time with their trainer, eventually form a bond with their trainer. This bond is special to each Pokemon, and it is like every other bond that one forms with another. That is, a work in progress and constantly evolving. How this bond looks depends on how well the trainer treats the Pokemon, with kindness and trust, respect and admiration, love and so on. This bond, forged with friendship, built on companionship, and tested by trials that both endure, is probably what makes a Pokemon stronger than anything could.)**

"Even stronger than evolving Arky?" Jacob asked.

**(Yes, even stronger than evolving Jacob, such a bond is so powerful that the deeper it runs, the stronger the two become. Yet to form a bond is a commitment that both parties undertake unanimously, to forge such a bond is not easy and cannot be forced. It happens naturally, gradually, and overtime it becomes apparent that such a bond is formed. When it is formed, both Pokemon and Trainer learn to depend on one another, and learn from each other, and eventually grow with each other's help. A deep bond is not easy to break, and it will stand the tests of time stronger than anything else will.)**

"Can any Pokemon form a bond Arky?" Jacob asked.

**(Yes, it can happen for any Pokemon, in fact many trainers form such bonds with their Pokemon. Even if the two become separated for years at a time, as soon as the two meet up again, the bond is just as strong as it was before. In fact, it's not surprising for one trainer form such bonds with many, many Pokemon. They may vary in strength, but they are still strong and just as connected as any other.)**

Jacob was silent as he tried to understand this lesson, but a few minutes later he asked a question to Arceus that he really didn't want to answer. "Can a bond be… broken Arky?" He asked nervously. "I mean… you say it's not easy to break but… can it be?"

Arceus looked at Jacob for a moment, before he looked up at the slowly darkening sky. It was getting late, soon he would have to go home, but still there was time to answer this question.

He just wished he didn't have to answer it.

**(Yes… a bond CAN be broken… but only in the most painful way.)** He said sadly. **(To break a bond, one of you must betray that trust that both Pokemon and Trainer give each other. Betray it so much that either the Trainer's or the Pokemon's entire world about the other is shattered. It's painful for the broken party, because then they almost lose all trust in the other's species as a whole.)**

Jacob was silent again, and when Arceus looked again, he saw a saddened look on his face. Clearly Jacob was regretting ever asking such a question. While Arceus didn't want to continue the subject, he had to in order to make sure that Jacob would never, ever, make such a choice.

**(A bond you forge is a gift Jacob, a beautiful, strong, and wonderful gift that you and another share. To break it is a sin, a sin that you can never be absolved of. Please… never ever break a bond you forge. You will never encounter a Pokemon that forges a bond, just to break it; it has and never will happen. Only Trainers can break such bonds. Promise me this Jacob; you will never create a bond only to break it?)**

Jacob nodded, and swore he would never break a bond.

After that, they sat in silence before Arceus decided it was time for Jacob to return home. Minutes later the boy left and Arceus returned into the Sanctuary, wondering what the second year would bring. **(I've taught you much Jacob, but you still have much to learn.)** Arceus said as he sat, waiting for the next day to arrive. **(You have much to learn, we've barely begun, but you are already showing promise.)**


	3. Intermission

Message from Imperator

**Hello everyone, to those who are wondering why I'm not continuing my other storyline, let me just say that I will but that will take a bit more time, until then I felt like putting all my writing skills into this latest fic, Arceus' Book.**

**Now as I'm writing this I'm beginning the next chapter, and I have but this to ask now, how do you feel about Arceus teaching Jacob?**

**Let me just ask you all how you would feel if you were in Jacob's shoes right now. Knowing that every day you wake up, you would take that same path from your home town, toward that stretch of woods, where inside a magical environment created by Arceus the God Pokemon, Arceus himself was waiting for you to teach you about Pokemon.**

**Tell me in a review how you would feel, if you were Jacob in this story.**

**To those who ask why did I choose this story to do my first Pokemon fic, and say that it's not true, that trainers don't think of Pokemon as just tools or collector's items, let me just point out that this is true. But for every one person that feels the way Jacob does, there are at least, two people who don't. I've met more people who talk about the 'best' team composition, and most 'ideal' lineup based on who they are fighting, then I have met people who say, 'I use the team I use because I believe in them!'**

**So go ahead, write a review on what you think about Arceus' dream, and if you think he chose right to use Jacob to try and make that dream a reality.**

**Jacob has a long way to go, and we have one more Prologue chapter before Jacob finally begins his journey as a trainer. Will he succeed, or will he fail, only time will tell.**


	4. Chapter 3

=Prologue Pt 3=

(A Second Year's worth of Lessons)

_-Arceus' Memories-_

_After the first year of lessons was done, we began our second year of lessons._

_Many things happened that would change and test Jacob's personality, and especially how he thought about both humans and Pokemon._

_Through it all he never stopped with his lessons._

_One factor that I never took into account when I started teaching him was his rival, this Jessy Garnet that he talks about. She seems to have a huge influence on him, one that rivals my own, for she thinks that her knowledge is superior to everyone else's._

_Jacob kept his promise about not revealing my true name to her, but the one thing he wished he could do was prove her wrong. Alas it would not happen until both were trainers, until then they could say that they were better than the other, and nothing more._

_Other things happened during our second year that truly tested Jacob's willingness to learn about Pokemon. I never covered it in my lessons, but one of those things was how Pokemon gave a human power over others, especially those who did not train Pokemon. This above all would test his self-restraint, something I feared would not happen, for when one tastes power they seldom will surrender it._

_Another thing that tested him was the powers that we Pokemon use, for many of us use powerful moves that could destroy entire cities if we unleashed them with our fellow Pokemon. I learned that he had great fear of one particular move, and it would be up to me to teach him not to fear it._

_As for myself, I found myself doing something that I did not expect or anticipate. I found myself growing attached to the boy, perhaps because of the time we spent with each other, alone in the Sanctuary. But I found myself becoming more of a parental figure than a mere mentor to the boy, as events happened that tested him caused him to look for a figure to guide him through those trials. More often than not, that figure was me._

_If only I could have told his mother… what a fine boy, she had raised._

_Despite all the power I had at one point, after using it to create Pokemon, I barely have a tenth of what I once had, still making me the strongest Pokemon around, but a mere shadow of my true self._

_I actually now fear the day he asks about why I did not do what I wished I did, because that will be the day he may come to hate me._

=The Rivalry=

(Jacob's PoV)

"So where are you off to Jacob?" A voice asked as he started walking down the path that would take him out of town toward the forest for his lessons.

Jacob turned and saw the face of the snobbish Jessy Garnet, in her flame red dress and dark red pants. She had even started dyeing her hair orange and red to mimic fire. No matter how many times he spoke to her, she always found a way to make them both get into an argument or some fight.

"I'm going to my lessons." Jacob said.

"Let me guess, this Arky that you keep going to for them?" Jessy asked with a smirk. "How come nobody else sees you and this Arky together, and where do you keep going to have these lessons? There aren't many places that you two could hide that I don't know of!"

"None of your business!" Jacob said, still not giving her any clue about where he was really going.

"So how are your lessons coming along?" She asked, her tone becoming more arrogant. "Is he teaching you decently? Cause I know my dad is a better teacher if he won't even let anyone else listen in on your lessons!"

"Arky is a great teacher Jessy, a lot better than your dad ever could be!" Jacob said angrily.

He could take her being a snob and trying to get him to tell about where his lessons were and who Arky was, but she had no right to say his teacher was terrible.

"Yea right, I bet if we ask each other any question about Pokemon I'll come out on top!" She said with a grin. "My dad has been teaching me a lot about Pokemon, we actually _leave_ Littleroot sometimes in the year, so I know what kind of Pokemon are out there! Unlike you who probably haven't even been near Oldale Town, I've been to other regions as my dad took me to tour with him when he went to compete in championships after he retired from being a Gym Leader!"

"Go ahead and ask then, I know I'll get them right!" Jacob said, eager to prove her wrong about Arky.

"Alright let's see, tell me what the most annoying Pokemon in the history of Pokemon is!" She asked with a grin.

"Uh… annoying?" Jacob asked nervously.

None of Arky's lessons ever covered an annoying type, or even an annoying personality. Still he had to give some kind of guess.

"Is it… uh…" He said, trying to figure out an answer.

"Hah, I knew it; this Arky doesn't know a thing about Pokemon!" Jessy said with a giggle. "For your information, the most annoying Pokemon in the history of Pokemon is Zubat! If he can't even tell you that then clearly he has no idea what he's talking about!"

"How is Zubat annoying?" Jacob asked, getting angry at Jessy for calling Arky a bad teacher.

"Obviously since you've never been in a cave before you wouldn't understand." She said with a grin. "My dad told me how many times he went into a cave inhabited by Zubat and how many times his Pokemon had to battle them just to reach the exit. He probably fought off over three hundred Zubats by the end of his trainer career, before he even became Gym Leader! It was like every cave he ever entered was infested by Zubat, they were just everywhere!"

"That's not their fault, Zubat don't have eyes, they can only see by sound!" Jacob said, remembering his lessons about Pokemon that see through sound, Arky said something about them using other means such as echo… echolo… something. "Arky said that Pokemon who don't have eyes need to use other means to see around them, like Zubat, your dad probably seemed like a really big bug to them that they could try and eat!"

"Yea that's what all the scientists claim the reason is, but every trainer knows that Zubat is by far the most annoying Pokemon in existence." Jessy said as she began to walk away, believing that she had won this little shouting match. "Whatever though, go on with your 'lessons', I'm sure when you become a trainer you'll see just how pointless they were! Then you'll know who to 'thank' for all the knowledge you learned."

Jacob really hated Jessy; not as in he really despised her, but hated how she treated Arky without ever once meeting him. If she knew how nice he was, how cool he looked and how smart he was, she wouldn't have dared say a bad word about him. Yet because he asked him to keep his real identity a secret, as well as where they had their lessons, all he could do was ignore Jessy's words as he left Littleroot to go to the forest for his lessons.

Later that day when he and Arceus were taking their break from his lessons, today he was learning about how to spot ripe berries from unripe ones, as well as what times of the day it is best to harvest them. He was learning how to find berry trees and where they tended to grow.

He ate his berries and fruit slowly, still a little bitter about his conversation with Jessy, and doing his best to ignore her words. Apparently however, something about his mood had slipped through and Arceus noticed it.

**(Is something wrong Jacob, you seem a bit bitter today?)** Arceus asked, looking down at him as they sat together.

"A little Arky." Jacob said. "Arky, is what your teaching me really going to help me when I become a trainer?"

**(Why do you ask me that question, of course everything I'm teaching you will help you.)** He said with a surprised tone. **(What brings this question out all of a sudden?)**

"Me and Jessy were fighting again before I came here." He said. "She kept saying how you're a bad teacher because you aren't teaching me what trainers really learn in their travels. Like about Zubat, she said every trainer knows that Zubat is the most annoying Pokemon in existence, and what I told her was just a bunch of pointless facts that doesn't change trainer's views about them."

Arceus nodded as he bent his head closer so that they were on eye level. **(Jacob if there is one thing you will learn, it is that every human is different, and each has their own opinion about the world around them. This Jessy you keep talking of has learned much of what she knows, thanks to her father having experienced it himself. However what is different is that he is not sharing the experiences that truly speak of his journey, only she can learn and understand that, and that can only happen when she experiences that on her own. You will be no different than her when your journey begins, and when you do I hope you will share all that you have learned from me with others.)**

Jacob nodded as he understood what his teacher was saying. "I just wish she would stop calling you a bad teacher." He said as he finished his lunch. "She always says how her dad is such a better teacher then you, just because I never tell where I'm going for my lessons or what you really are called."

Arceus nodded in understanding as he got up with Jacob to resume his lessons. **(Not everyone agrees on what their teachers say, but ignore what she says for now, she is just curious about whom you are learning from and where you are all the time. Just remember to keep this place a secret, and who I really am a secret. When the time comes I'll let myself be known to all who ever questioned you.)**

"I will Arky!" Jacob said proudly.

**(On that note back to our lesson, now Oran Berries are the quickest to grow each day, needing only half a day, or a full twelve hours to grow. The easiest way to spot Oran Berry trees is the distinctive blue dots you see on the tree at a distance. Depending on how strong the color is for the berries you can tell if they are ripe or not, as before they become berries they have the appearance of flowers. Once the berries appear they will start out looking light blue, a signal that they are ripe for picking. Once they become dark blue that means they are extremely bloated with Oran Juice, you can pick them and use the extra juice to create healthy drinks for you or Pokemon, as the juice is effective on both Humans and Pokemon, but only if you squeeze just the juice out and mix it with a special root after it has been grinded into a special powder, which can be found at the base of any Berry tree. You can tell if an Oran Berry is bloated because it will start to explode juice with just the slightest squeeze. Once you have the two ingredients you can then…)**

=The Pokemon Hunter=

(Arceus' PoV)

Arceus ticked down the hours as morning left, giving rise to midday. Normally he didn't pay much mind to the hours of the day, or what time it was, but something odd had been going on for the last few days, especially concerning Jacob. The last few days Jacob had been avoiding his lessons, not as in trying to get out of them, but being as late in the day as he could. Something happened in the last few days had spooked him, or at least made him nervous about showing up for them.

Arceus didn't want to question him about it, after all he had asked for a lot of things from the boy in exchange for these lessons. If he started questioning him about this, it might look like he was being controlling of the boy. He wanted Jacob to trust him, so he decided to let Jacob tell him if something was wrong on his own.

At least that was how he played it before he had reason to worry.

A few days ago, before Jacob started showing up later and later for his lessons, a very windy storm racked the town of Littleroot. It blew a lot of things, bits of wood, tree branches, leaves, and whatever wasn't nailed down by heavy objects inside houses unfortunate enough to have their windows open. One object was a piece of paper with a crayon drawing on it, a drawing of him, Arceus.

He recognized it as him, and knew that Jacob had been the one drawing it, because Jacob had shown him a doodle of it as a 'thank you for teaching me' present. This looked more completed and it was fairly detailed, even if Jacob got some of the proportions wrong.

Something must have happened for Jacob to become so scarce the last few days, to the point that they barely had any time to go over anything in detail before he had to go home. Arceus had avoided talking about the subject before; simply because he had never given him a reason to mistrust him, but now Arceus was growing worried.

Hours passed before finally he heard Jacob's words outside the Sanctuary, calling for him, and he sounded scared. Instantly Arceus jumped out and, without even giving Jacob a second to register what was happening, used his powers to lift Jacob onto his back, and rushed back into the safety of the Sanctuary. Afterwards he placed Jacob on the ground and looked at his face, making sure he was alright.

**(What's wrong, you sounded frightened.) **He said, checking over him to make sure he wasn't injured.

"I'm fine Arky." He said, though the sudden rush of movement had unsettled him, and it was taking him time to recover. "But I was afraid I might lead someone here."

**(Lead someone here?)** Arceus asked. **(Who's trying to follow you?)**

Jacob described the man to him, and just from the description guessed as to who this 'someone' was. Arceus used his powers and sensed the individual walking around outside the Sanctuary, and could tell that he had tried following Jacob, but the Hypnosis spell he had placed around the area was working perfectly, making him ignore the area where the Sanctuary was hidden.

Still, the man following him frightened Jacob, and decided to examine this man with his own eyes. With Jacob back on his back, he poked his head out of the Sanctuary's tall grass and looked out at the man Jacob described.

**(That's the man you spoke of, the one following you?)** He asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Yea that's him Arky." Jacob said nervously. "He's been asking me about where I keep going for my lessons, and keeps asking who you are. Nothing I say matters to him, he just keeps following and asking about who you are and where he can find you."

Arceus nodded and went back into the Sanctuary to explain who the man was. **(You are wise to be wary of him, that man is known as a Pokemon Hunter.)** He said as he knelt and let Jacob down.

"Pokemon Hunter?" Jacob asked.

**(Yes, Pokemon Hunter, they are trainers that capture Pokemon, but unlike trainers they do not raise them with the same care you or another trainer might.)** He said. **(A Pokemon Hunter captures Pokemon, and even steals them from their trainers to sell to whatever client paid for their services. They are the lowest of the low when compared to trainers.)**

"Wait, why do Pokemon Hunters do that?"

Arceus looked back at Jacob as they headed to sit on the cushions. **(Nobody really knows what inspires one to seek such a lifestyle, but I suppose it's the ever present motivation of money, and the inspiration of greed, that goes hand in hand to make one conceive of such a life.)** He said before he and Jacob sat together on the cushions. **(Pokemon Hunters care not for the Pokemon they hunt, or the trainers they take from, all that matters is the pay they are offered. They may have their own Pokemon, they may even raise them well, but they still perform such evil that truly makes them despised by trainers worldwide. It's up to trainers to protect against them, and help the law to stop them. As long as one roams free, they will always inspire others to pursue a lifestyle just like that of a Hunter.)**

Jacob nodded in understanding and asked yet another question that Arceus wasn't excited to answer. "Why do trainers do things like that with their Pokemon?" He asked. "Don't they know its bad Arky, why would they want to be mean like that?"

**(I don't know Jacob, but I suppose the simplest answer is that, Pokemon give them a sense of power over others, especially those that do not have their own Pokmon to protect them. It makes them feel powerful and they want to make sure they keep that power at almost any cost. They probably know it's wrong but they don't care, as long as they still have their Pokemon and things continue to go well for them, they will continue to perform such evil deeds.)**

After that they decided to resume his lessons, talking about how the different berry juices could help a Pokemon digest it's food better, depending on what berry he added when cooking food that wasn't focused on berries. After a small cooking lesson, which resulted in a burned mess of some black goo that Arceus had to Hyper Beam out of existence, he said that their next few lessons would be teaching him how to cook before they would part for the day.

After Jacob left, Arceus used his powers and sensed that the Pokemon Hunter was still stalking the boy, but didn't follow him back to town, instead he waited out of sight at the very edge of the meadow, watching the area.

Arceus knew that as long as this Hunter remained, he would be a threat to both his plans for the boy's future, and the secret they were keeping.

He would have to remove the threat quickly and efficiently.

=Four hours later=

Arceus watched the moon rise and deemed the time appropriate. He left the Sanctuary and walked out into the meadow, making no attempt to hide himself.

As soon as he reached the middle he saw a bright blue flame racing toward him on his left, while on his right it looked like a whirlwind of blades was flying toward him. **(Cosmic Power!)** Arceus declared, and his body glowed to increase his defenses, both physical and special.

The attacks connected a moment later and they barely left a scratch as he waited for his real enemy to present himself. **(Come out Hunter; do not play these games against me)** He declared angrily as he observed a Salamance and Absol out of the corner of his eyes.

A few seconds later a human with a western style hat, a long flowing jacket, and special hiking boots walked into view, wearing a smirk on his face as he eyed Arceus. Behind him a third Pokemon appeared, a Mightyena, bearing its fangs as Arceus eyed its trainer.

"So my hunch was correct, the Arky that runt of a kid was secretly running off to was really a Pokemon!" He said smugly. "And what luck, the Pokemon that I happened to have had a hunch on, happens to be the biggest prize any trainer could find. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would see a legendary Pokemon with my own two eyes, and not just any legendary, Arceus the Creator Pokemon himself."

Arceus watched the Hunter for a second before he spoke again, not bothering to hide his anger. **(Zarak the Pokemon Hunter, you are quite known in the underworld of the Pokeblack Market, your 'team' specializes in tracking down and capturing the rarest and most difficult to find and catch Pokemon.)** He said, reciting Zarak's profile he made for himself. **(Your price is the highest among Pokemon Hunters, just to speak to your client face to face you demand a minimum of five thousand Pokedollars, and that doesn't even include your fee for whatever Pokemon you hunt.)**

Zarak gave a mocking bow as Arceus spoke of him, still smiling as he stood back up again. "The Legendary Arceus knows me all too well; I'm honored that you would care to remember such a 'lowly' creature's name like mine." He said sarcastically. "Though you must answer one question for me Arceus, what is a powerful, legendary, and recognized Pokemon like you doing in such a pathetic little area of the world like this Littleroot Town? Wait, let me guess, it has something to do with that little brat I saw running around?"

Arceus remained silent as he contemplated how to deal with Zarak, and his silence answered the hunter's question.

"Are you serious, the great Arceus, creator of all Pokemon, has come to care for a small brat?" He roared in laughter, and even his Pokemon, with exception to the Absol, laughed as well. "Now that's precious, Arceus is caring for a kid, oh what a story this would make if everyone knew!"

**(We both know you have no interest in spreading word about my whereabouts Zarak.)** Arceus declared, silencing both the laughing Pokemon.

Zarak stopped laughing as he watched Arceus with a smirk. "Got that right **Arky**, I'm only interested in capturing you. I'm tired of working for some pathetic low time crime bosses who want me after low end rare Pokemon that their goons or they themselves can't catch. Personally it doesn't matter what relationship that kid has with you, but since you're here this makes my lucky day. If I catch you I can sell you on the Pokeblack Market for the highest bidder, I'll make a fortune so fast and so high, I can buy my own private island to retire to and live for the rest of my life in luxury."

Arceus was silent for a while before he channeled his energy into firing a Hyper Beam. **(If you can catch me that is!)** He declared, firing the beam at the Salamance.

The Salamance was a strong dragon type Pokemon, but even though it had clearly been raised well, it stood no chance against Arceus' Hyper Beam. The first attack knocked it out in one hit, but this attack left Arceus immobile against the Absol's and Mightyena's counter attacks.

"Absol, use Psycho Cut, Mightyena, use Crunch!" Zarak said as he prepared a Timer Ball.

**(This hunter came prepared, a Timer Ball…)** Arceus said to himself as the two attacks connected with him, unable to attack or move until the Hyper Beam's effects had subsided.

"Absol, Mightyena, again use Psycho Cut and Crunch!" Zarak shouted.

The two Pokemon obeyed their master and Mightyena charged again with his jaws, while Absol's blade glowed before an astral blade was sent at Arceus.

However now he could move again, and he easily dodged both Pokemon's attacks, reappearing right behind them in one leap, and fired off yet another Hyper Beam, but this time he caught both Pokemon in its blast. In one move he defeated the two Pokemon as they lay on the ground fainted.

"Timer Ball GO!" Zarak shouted behind Arceus' back.

Arceus turned just in time to use his powers to stop the ball in midair, crushed it into nothingness, and stared at Zarak as he suddenly looked afraid. **(A trainer that seeks to use his Pokemon to capture and steal other Pokemon, for no other reason than money, does not deserve the honor of fighting me.)** He declared as he lifted Zarak into the air using his powers. **(Now you will suffer Judgment!)**

"Help… HELP ME!" Zarak shouted desperately as he squirmed in the air, unable to free himself from his invisible bonds, staring as he watched Arceus' eyes glow a dangerous yellow.

"**STOP IT!"** A desperate female voice shouted, and causing Arceus to stop momentarily in his attack to watch the Absol shakily rise to her feet. **"Please great Arceus, I beg you… don't kill him… please I beg of you!"**

She may have been battered and beaten by the Hyper Beam, but he was amazed that she was able to stand, even if barely. Still he was not interested in futile heroics, not when the one she was trying to save was a pathetic excuse for a trainer. **(Give me a reason little one.)** He said calmly.

"**Please… he only does what he must to feed and support us!" **She said shakily. **"He's raised me since I was an egg, and all my life I've only ever seen the good in him. We may hunt Pokemon but we never steal from trainers! It may be his job but he is a good human! Please don't kill him I'm begging you!"**

Arceus listened to the pleas and decided to show some mercy, or at least sentence this Hunter to a lesser judgment. **(Very well, I'll spare his life.)** He declared, and tossed Zarak over to his Pokemon. **(However to make sure none of you ever come here again, and never remember any of this, I shall erase all of your memories of the last few days and rewrite them as I like.)**

Before any of them could object, he used his powers and entered all of their minds, and within seconds rewrote their memories to a picture more pleasing for him. He erased the memories of Zarak finding the picture Jacob had drawn blowing in the wind, erased his questions of the townspeople and trainers, erased his memories of tailing the boy, erased the memory of this day, and rewrote them so that it appeared like a completely different story. Once that was done he used his powers and placed them under a Hypnosis spell, so that they would sleep until morning. Finally he used his powers and retrieved the picture of himself that Jacob had drawn from Zarak's jacket pocket, and returned to the Sanctuary.

The next morning Zarak awoke, complained about his team fighting each other and preventing them from getting a room at the town's inns, before he returned them back into their Pokeballs, and taking off in the direction of Oldale Town. He didn't even notice a boy racing toward a section of the woods, vanishing from sight as he disappeared through a section of tall grass.

=Thunder=

-Kaboooooom-

**(Now Jacob pay attention to this next move, because weather affects this particular move depending on when you decide to use it.)** Arceus said as the thunderstorm rolled in, unleashing a downpour of rain upon Littleroot town.

However despite the fierce storm rolling in, scaring many of the trainers and townspeople into the safety of their warm dry homes, Arceus had asked Jacob to remain in the Sanctuary so that he could teach him about how weather can affect Pokemon and their abilities first hand. Jacob had nervously agreed to remain in the Sanctuary and now was sheltering himself from the rain under a group of trees to keep dry. Arceus was also under it, but only because he needed to view the entire Sanctuary to make sure the move did not hit anywhere else.

"O…o...kay…" Jacob said quietly.

Arceus concentrated on the move, ignoring the thunder in the distance, even when a lightning bolt flashed in the sky. **(Now… this move is a move that normally isn't reliable to strike the opponent with absolute accuracy.)** He told Jacob as another flash of lightning appeared, followed by yet another boom. **(This move strikes wherever the electric type Pokemon wills it, first by directing it into the sky, and then allowing it to strike the ground. This move is extremely fast, almost impossible to avoid. It strikes with the full force and speed of lightning, powered by the electricity an electric Pokemon stores to use it. However its fault is that once it is let go, the Pokemon cannot redirect it if the target starts to move. So it normally must anticipate where to send the attack. However if the conditions are right, you can use the water of a downpour like this to redirect it. This is because water conducts electricity, and it travels through the water to reach its targeted destination.)**

"O… k … kay…" Jacob said as another lightning flashed, followed by another boom again.

Arceus waited until his move was finished, then declared in a commanding voice, **(THUNDER!)** and sent a jolt of lightning into the sky. Moments later it struck back into the ground right in front of him, for a brief moment when it flashed it showed signs of curving and weaving, before finally hitting its destination.

Impressed by the demonstration, he continued with the lesson.** (As you can see, my will directed the Thunder to where I wanted it; even if the path was curved and jagged it still hit its mark. When it normally occurs without the aid of a rainstorm, it appears to look like a straight line from the sky to the ground. However thanks to the aid of this storm, I can direct the Thunder to hit anywhere I want it to. Weather has a huge impact on a Pokemon's abilities, especially those that use moves closely resembling to natural occurrences, such as Thunder. However a bright sunny day, thanks to raising the temperature, can help fire type moves and even grass type Pokemon that know Solar Beam. If you know the weather conditions beforehand you can…)**

Arceus stopped talking as he noticed Jacob covering his ears with his head buried in his knees, shivering in fear, occasionally whimpering whenever another boom of lightning sounded. **(Jacob, is something wrong?)** He asked curiously.

"I'm just… not sure… I like lightning…" Jacob said shakily.

_***He's afraid of lightning, then that must mean that the Thunder I used must have terrified him.***_ He thought as another round of lightning flashed and sounded in the distance, causing Jacob to shiver again.

Arceus decided not to continue today's lessons, and decided to leave the lesson for that day; instead he walked around Jacob, and as best he could lay down in front of the boy, shielding him from the rain and lightning. **(It's okay Jacob; it's alright to be afraid of lightning.)** He said comfortingly as Jacob huddled next to his body. **(Everyone has their fears, it's okay to say that you are afraid of something.)**

"But you aren't afraid of anything!" Jacob said nervously. "You know all about Pokemon, and you aren't even a little scared! How can I become a good trainer if I'm afraid of lightning?"

**(I have my own fears Jacob; remember I said everyone has their fears, including me.)** He said comfortingly. **(You have nothing to be ashamed of Jacob.)**

They remained as such for a few minutes, while the storm still raged on, before Jacob asked another question. "Arky… what are you afraid of?"

Arceus looked into Jacobs eyes and revealed his greatest fear to the boy. **(My greatest fear, is that one day, Pokemon will cease to exist as friends and companions in the eyes of Humans.)** He said. **(But as long as you see them as such Jacob, then I have nothing to fear.)**

"Really?" Jacob asked as another lightning sounded, causing him to yelp as it was awfully close.

**(Yes, one thing that Pokemon help with their trainers is to share those fears with them, and eventually help them overcome those fears.)** He said calmly. **(We are all in this world together Jacob, and we each have fears that we share with those we trust. As you and your Pokemon grow, you'll teach each other to overcome those fears.)**

Jacob nodded as the storm continued, comforted that Arceus was there and despite the fact that they were two different species, both were no different than each other. They both had fears, they both had hopes, and they both had dreams.

For Arceus however, while he knew when the storm would pass, he was not really interested in how long he would have to wait with Jacob there. All that mattered to him was that he showed Jacob that no matter how frightening the world of Pokemon was, as well as the world of Humans, there would be someone out there who was just like him. Not only that, but he also wanted to show him that he shouldn't be afraid of sharing his fears with those around him.

For now though, he was showing Jacob that despite how afraid of the storm he was, Arceus was there to keep him safe and give him company until he had calmed down.

=Tears=

(Jacob's PoV)

_-If only Tears Could Bring You Back: Midnight Sons-_

Jacob was silent as he slowly walked from the local orphanage to the Sanctuary for the first time since the incident for his lessons with Arceus. He still couldn't believe it was two weeks since the Snagem raid, it seemed like only a few days, but no it had really been two weeks since that horrible group appeared in Littleroot.

He walked through the town, which was just finishing repairing the damage it had sustained by the intense battles that had taken place in its streets between Team Snagem's members, the trainers staying in Littleroot, and the wild Pokemon that appeared. As he walked he saw Jessy walking with her stuffed Milotic, 'Lady Pretty', and looking at the damage that had all but been erased. They merely passed each other, Jessy knowing not to poke fun of him after what happened two weeks ago.

As he walked he reached a section of the street where, if what happened two weeks ago didn't happen, he'd be walking from to his lessons.

He suppressed his tears, trying his best not to think of what had happened, but no matter how much he wished it didn't happen, he could not erase the memory.

(Flashback)

_Three weeks ago, the Hoenn League announced that it would begin its two year challenge for trainers around the Hoenn region to compete in. Trainers were welcomed to challenge the various Gym Leaders stationed in cities across Hoenn for their badges to qualify and compete in the Hoenn League competition. The prize pool was quite large, and the winner would be named the champion of the region. Almost immediately trainers that had been staying in Littleroot began leaving to travel all of Hoenn for the various Gym badges._

_Within a week, there were hardly any trainers left, including Jessy's father, who was off to participate in preparing the championship for the trainers._

_That day, a week after all the trainers in Littleroot had up and left, Jacob was on his way to the Sanctuary when he saw a huge trail of Bikers flying down the path toward him. In fear he had jumped into the wild grass, still completely exposed, but for some reason they completely ignored him and headed toward Littleroot._

_At first he had assumed they were just a bunch of trainers traveling through the region and merely stopping at Littleroot to purchase supplies, like many trainers did. But then something frightened him about the way they appeared to him as they zipped past him. They didn't look anything like the trainers he was familiar with. They all wore vests with a picture of a hand clutching a Pokeball, and they didn't even slow down as they entered the town._

_That was then he forgot his lessons and tried to race home to see what was wrong. However by the time he entered town, it was pure and utter chaos. Left and right those Bikers were using their Pokemon to attack the townspeople. They used Pokemon he had not seen before, only heard of thanks to his lessons with Arceus._

_The few trainers who were still in Littleroot were fighting these Bikers, but the fighting was spreading throughout the town as buildings were hit in the crossfire. They were also outnumbered at least three to one, so each trainer was fighting three separate battles with their Pokemon, fighting in the honorable fashion of one Pokemon per trainer and battle. However the Bikers weren't interested in honor as they overpowered many trainers Pokemon through sheer numbers and brute force._

_As Jacob ran through the town, trying to avoid being hurt in the battles taking place, he watched as trainers Pokemon were snatched right from the battlefield, most managing to break free, but for some they were captured using strange glowing Pokeballs._

_That was when he saw the fires starting to appear as some of the Bikers started using fire type Pokemon. In fear he raced home, only to find that he was too late. His home that he had lived for all his life in, where he returned to each day after his lessons started nearly two years ago was in flames. Standing in front of his home was a burly Man wearing only his vest and ragged jeans, was commanding a Typhlosion to use its flamethrower on the houses._

_What happened after he saw his home ablaze was mostly a blur, however he did remember brief flashes of it, and through those flashes he learned of how his town had barely been saved from total destruction. When he saw his home and the Pokemon burning it, he had tried to get to his mother, but out of fear he only turned and ran. The Biker had ordered his Pokemon to chase after him, saying something about burning him like he did to the woman in the house. After running for his life, he was saved as a pack of Mightyena roared into the street, charging the Typhlosion without any fear of the fire type. Meanwhile more wild Pokemon had entered the town as well, swarms of Tailow and packs of Mightyena and Poochyena had joined the trainer's side, evening the odds and eventually driving the Bikers away from the town._

_Later on the police and fire suppression squad from Oldale arrived and were in pursuit of the Bikers with some of the trainers that had their Pokemon stolen from them during the battle. The town had suffered minor damage to the buildings, with only a few buildings burned down. Most of the townspeople had escaped harm with only a few injuries here and there, however that wasn't true for one woman who lived near the edge of town in the smallest house in town._

"_Thirteen cases of cuts and bruises, four cases of high voltage electrocution and five cases of sprained limbs, we also have multiple reports of Pokemon theft by trainers."_ A female officer with blue hair said over a microphone to her bosses with Jacob nearby as they dug through the remains of his house. _"From the reports we've gathered the group that attacked the town can only be Team Snagem, and based on these reports it appears the group attacked the town to steal Pokemon from the thinned down Trainer Population in Littleroot, following the announcement of the Hoenn League challenge. While most of the injuries are treatable and the victims will recover, I'm afraid I must also report one dead by massive fifth degree burns all over her body, I repeat one dead by massive fifth degree burns. She was found in a house at the edge of town by fire suppression squad members. My first impressions of the scene say that she was trying to defend herself against a type three fire type Pokemon using a frying pan or other such cooking tool as we found her with a twisted piece of metal in the shape of a skillet. We've confirmed her identity to be…"_

_The officer looked over at him with sad eyes as he prayed that the words she next said were not true. "Amanda Beryl, mother of one Jacob Beryl, single mother with low income status. No other relatives live in town and according to our records there aren't any relatives within the next two regions over."_ She had said.

(Present time)

As he left the town behind, he felt his feet become heavy as he walked toward the Sanctuary, having learned its real name a while back. He turned nine a couple days ago, but that didn't matter now. In the two weeks of trying to find someone to take care of him, it was determined that he would have to live at the Littleroot orphanage until he either became a legal adult, or signed up to become a Pokemon Trainer at the age of eleven. During that time he had attended his mother's funeral where she was buried near a stretch of woods opposite where he had his lessons.

Arky, or Arceus as Jacob knew he was really called, didn't attend the funeral, which only made Jacob worry that something had happened. However he didn't care, all he could feel was absolute misery.

As he thought about his mother, he remembered all the fun times they had, how she always asked him about what he learned each day. They would laugh and play together, or just watch Pokemon League TV, watching recorded battles of championships in local towns across Hoenn.

Remembering those memories hit him very hard, and forced him to remember that he would never, ever, watch another show with his mother again. She was gone, and would never come back.

He was alone… all alone.

It was taking all his strength to suppress the tears, trying to keep as calm as he could so that he could focus on his lessons. But now even his lesson reminded him of his mother, after all, Arceus had to convince his mother to let him go a lot earlier than she imagined she would. Let him go and learn lessons from a Pokemon, all alone and isolated from the world for extended periods of time each and every day, meaning she would see even less of her son then she used to.

Still… he restrained his tears, even as he crossed the tall grass and entered the Sanctuary.

Arceus was there, standing just as tall and proud as Jacob remembered, looking worried as he watched Jacob enter the Sanctuary. **(Jacob, are you alright?)** He asked. **(You haven't come in the last few weeks, what has happened?)**

"Arky…" Jacob said, clearly unable to suppress his sadness forever because it was evident in his voice and on his face. "She's… gone… my mother's…"

Arceus nodded and walked over to him, using his powers to pull the cushions closer together so they could lay down on them. **(Tell me what has happened Jacob, I wish to know what has caused you so much pain.)** He said.

"I don't… want to talk about it…" Jacob said, knowing that if he admitted it verbally, then he would never be able to control his tears.

He wanted to be strong, he had to be strong, and in front of his teacher he had to look strong so he would not hesitate about giving his lessons.

**(Jacob, you can't bottle your fears and despair up inside you.)** He said, sounding as wise and gentle as he always did. **(If you do you will only extend and increase the pain and suffering inside of you, and that will soon spread to others the longer you bottle it. Please tell me what has happened Jacob, I feel your sadness inside me, and it pierces me like an iron dagger wrapped in flames.)**

Jacob looked at his teacher; his ten foot tall four legged white-grey Pokemon teacher, with that strange golden thing wrapped around him, and simply broke down in tears. He ran toward Arceus and hugged his neck, knowing that Arceus didn't mind it when he did that, especially now that he was so broken inside.

He cried and he cried, sobbed and wet his teacher's soft cotton like fur with his tears, but Arceus didn't seem to mind as he rubbed Jacob's head with his own. **(There, there, it's okay Jacob, go ahead and cry.)** He said soothingly. **(Go ahead and cry all of your tears away on me, I'll wait until you are ready to share. I'm right here for you.)**

So he did cry. He cried his tears until they ran so dry, even a desert couldn't rival it. For nearly an hour he just cried and sobbed, wailing as loudly as he could, letting his sadness free. Finally after his tears had been spent, he told Arceus about the bikers, how they attacked Littleroot, how the trainers tried to save the town but couldn't fight them off because they were outnumbered. He told him how he ran home, trying to find his mother, but was too late to save her, and how she was gone, all because he was a boy who didn't have a Pokemon to protect her and the town with.

"Now she's gone Arky… she's gone and I'll never see her again!" He said sadly as he looked at the ground with Arceus still behind him. "I'm alone now… I'm all alone… I've lost everything. My home, my mother, everything I had is gone."

**(You are not alone Jacob, you still have me.)** Arceus said, causing him to look into his eyes again. **(You have lost your mother, for that I am terribly saddened, both for your loss and mine. She was a caring soul taken far too soon from both you and the world, she should have been there to see you become a trainer in your own right, yet she's gone now. You should have had her watching over you until the day you could stand on your own, yet now you must stand before you are truly ready. Nobody should have to go through this, and yet you must.)**

"But what am I supposed to do now!" He said sadly. "What can I do now? Where do I go, who am I supposed to look to for help now?"

Arceus looked up into the sky for a moment before he returned his attention to Jacob again. **(You turn to me now; remember your mother asked me to teach you Jacob.) **He said calmly. **(I promised your mother I would teach you all about Pokemon no matter what would happen. I am still going to keep that promise, more so now to honor her memory. From this day forth you will have my undivided attention in our lessons. So that the day you become a trainer, you will be ready for the challenges that wait ahead of you! I'll even teach you more than just Pokemon, I'll teach you the skills she would have taught you, had she not been robbed of the chance by those criminals who stole her from this world!)**

Jacob watched the fierce determination in his words, and knew that his teacher would not abandon him. No matter what would happen, Arceus, his teacher, would always remain there for him. **(I know full well I cannot replace your mother, nobody, Human or Pokemon, can ever replace her in your heart. But I can at least try to fill the void that has now appeared in your soul, if you want me to that is. So tell me Jacob Beryl, will you accept what I am offering you?)**

Jacob nodded, and unable to hold back the tears swelling up inside him again, just leaned onto his teacher and cried again. This time however, they were tears of joy mixed with his sadness. He may have lost his mother, but at least he still had his Pokemon teacher. He didn't know who his dad was, his mom never spoke of him, but since he had gone his whole life without knowing who his dad was, he didn't care about him.

He had a new dad, even if it was one sided and only figuratively speaking. That dad was Arky, Arceus his Pokemon teacher.

(Arceus' PoV)

Arceus felt Jacob's tears wetting his fur, but didn't mind as he did all he could to comfort the boy as best he could. He had known the town was being attacked, but he had drained his powers to summon every available wild Pokemon he could from the surrounding forest near Littleroot, commanding them to rescue the town. He was left quite weak because of this, so he knew little of what was happening, and even less of his student.

The loss of Mrs. Beryl was a terrible blow to the boy's spirit, but it seemed that the boy had managed to recover, at least partially, thanks to Arceus' presence in his life.

_***Mrs. Beryl, I promise you I will not abandon this boy.***_ He whispered to himself as the boy continued to cry into him. _***I will raise this boy as you would have, I may not be his father, nor can I replace you as his mother, but I will do all I can to make sure he is ready for the day he becomes a true trainer. So rest in peace now Amanda Beryl, your task is done for now, leave the rest to me.***_

He looked back into the sky, knowing that he had two years left to teach Jacob before he would begin his journey as a trainer. His plans had certainly derailed a bit with this development, but that didn't matter now. As long as he prepared the boy and imparted to him all the lessons he could, teach him how to care for Pokemon and treat them as equals, his plan might still work.

It would be a long two years, but he and Jacob were both determined to make the most of it.


	5. Chapter 4

=Chapter 1, The Journey Begins=

=With a Book, a Battle, and a Ralts=

(Recap)

_After the Snagem Raid Jacob was placed in the local Littleroot Orphanage, and despite the best efforts of many of the townspeople, none of them could help Jacob climb out of the hole he seemed to have fallen into after the death of his mother. Yet weeks after the incident, he seemed to have regained some step in his walk, and eventually he got over the depression he had fallen into. Nobody could explain why the sudden change occurred, at least none who didn't know the truth. People often tried to follow Jacob to try and talk to him, but every attempt ended in failure as he seemed to vanish near the stretch of woods where they often saw him heading toward even before the loss of his mother._

_People asked how he was doing, and the only answer he gave was 'I'm going to become a Pokemon Trainer, I can't let myself be depressed because my mom would have wanted me to keep learning.'_

_The truth that Jacob kept a secret even after all that happened was that he was still receiving his lessons from Arceus, his teacher. Arceus was keeping his promise to Jacob, and was teaching him everything about Pokemon he could hammer into Jacob. He taught him everything his first year of lessons and second year had covered, revisited subjects they had covered, learned tricks and other notable pieces of knowledge, and everything else that he could. Included with his lessons were those that his mother might and would have taught him._

_He first learned to cook human food, learned how to speak to different levels of human society. He learned how to wear a suit for formal occasions, how to wash his own clothes, how to pitch a tent, how to prepare supplies for traveling, taught him the correct utensil positions and usage for formal dinners, and how to even sew. He taught him about money, how to count and sort it, how to save and how to make sure he was not being scammed. Arceus covered so many subjects that Jacob couldn't count on both hands even if he had twice the number of fingers. All in preparation for the day he turned eleven and was old enough to become a trainer._

_All through his lessons, Jacob never once asked how he knew so much. He often questioned how he could know so much, but after four years of learning from the Pokemon, he didn't need to ask it. Arceus had given Jacob so much that it didn't matter where he learned all he taught, Arceus was Jacob's closest friend, his father figure, his mentor, and he trusted the Pokemon to share his knowledge if it was required._

_As for Arceus, after four years of knowing the boy since he first spotted him being chased by a pack of Mightyena, and spending every day of those four years isolated with the boy, made him grow to truly care for the boy. Each day he made sure the boy was safe, using one occasion when he was so tired from his lessons that he fell asleep while practicing mending a burn to add additional protections to the bracelet he always wore. Now as long as Jacob was near Littleroot he would be invisible to any Pokemon or Human that had malicious intent toward him. Yet as the day that he became a trainer grew closer, Arceus knew that their time together was coming to an end. Yet at the same time as he worried for the day he would leave his care, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in the boy._

_Soon all he had taught him would be put to the test, and his plan to maybe change the picture of the world that he saw might come to pass._

=A Book=

(Jacob's PoV)

"Very well Jacob, here is your Pokedex and five Pokeballs." Professor Nomel said, handing him a red Pokedex and five small Pokeballs. "I wish you luck and safety in your travels, and I hope you do well to fill out the Pokedex as completely as you can. Remember that by simply seeing them and searching for them in its database will give you adequate data, but if you want more complicated data you need to capture them and register them in the Pokedex. This is true for all Trainers in order to learn more about the Pokemon they use; you need to capture a Pokemon of the same type."

"Thank you Professor." Jacob said as he took the Pokedex and the Pokeballs.

"Now it's time to select your Starter." He said, though Professor Nomel looked a little upset as he led him over to a table with a single Pokeball, with a leaf symbol adorning it. "I'm really sorry but, if you would come at another date I could have more of a variety for you to select from. The only Pokemon I have left is the grass type Treecko. The trainers that came before you the day before took the fire type Torchic, and the water type Mudkip. So I'm afraid all you have to select from is the Treecko."

"That's okay Professor Nomel; I wanted Treecko to begin with." Jacob said with a smile, glad that the Pokemon he had hoped for hadn't been taken. "Is it okay if I meet him before I actually choose him?"

Professor Nomel nodded and said he could, so without any delay he picked up the Pokeball and tapped the little button on it, calling out the Pokemon inside. The Treecko, a green gecko-like Pokemon with a large green tail appeared in a flash of light.

"**Treecko!"** It shouted as it fully appeared from the ball.

"Hello there Treecko, it's nice to see you again." Professor Nomel said to the Pokemon. "I bet you know why you are out of the ball tonight! A trainer has decided to choose you as his starter!"

Treecko looked excited at these words, but then looked deflated as it saw that its ball was the only one on the table.

"Hey there Treecko, my names Jacob, Jacob Beryl, glad to meet you." Jacob said, bringing Treecko's attention to him. "I just wanted to first meet you and ask if you'd like to become my starter."

"**Tree?"** Treecko said, pointing at itself.

"Yea, you see I always wanted to start my life as a Trainer with a grass type Pokemon!" Jacob said with a smile. "I'm just glad nobody picked you before I could meet you."

"**Treecko Tree?"** Treecko asked.

"Yea, I couldn't come in yesterday because I had to meet with someone special before I came here to pick up my Trainer's license." He said. "So by the time I could, the lab was closed so I had to wait until today. Now I haven't picked you yet because I just wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to join me as my first Pokemon. So what do you say?"

"**Treecko!"** Treecko said happily, jumping into Jacob's arms and giving him a tight hug.

"Well I guess you both chose each other than!" Professor Nomel said, handing Jacob Treecko's Pokeball. "So are you going to name him?"

"Hmm, how do you feel about the name Harold?" Jacob asked his new Treecko. "Would you mind if I called you Harold?"

"**Treecko!" **Treecko said, nodding happily as he accepted the name.

"Alright your name is Harold!" Jacob said with a laugh. "Glad you like it Harold. Thanks again for keeping him safe Professor Nomel."

"You don't need to thank me Jacob, just raise him well and do your best on your journey!" Professor Nomel said.

Jacob nodded and returned Harold to his ball, deciding it was now time to head over to visit someone very important before he began his journey. As he left the lab and walked through the town he stopped when he neared the local convenience store that was just receiving a batch of some small mirrors because it was really the only store in town. As he noticed the mirrors he looked at his reflection, and noticed just how much had changed in nearly four years since he first met his mentor.

Four years ago he stood maybe four feet tall at most, wore a pair of green shorts and a red short, with dark black hair that was always unkempt if someone didn't make him comb it. Now he stood a little over five feet, wore blue green jeans, a light red shirt, and added a lightweight green jacket, as well as a western style leather hat dyed green. He sort of looked like those Pokemon wranglers that work on Moo Moo Milk Ranches. And now he had a belt with six Pokeballs wrapped around his waist to add to his appearance, as well as a Pokedex in his jean pocket.

So much has changed since then, but the one thing that remained the same, at least for him, was his eyes. Though he never bothered to pay attention to them before, he had emerald colored eyes. People often said he was always more in touch with nature because of those eyes, sometimes even saying that he could see the nature first past all of the technology of the day. But Jacob didn't seem to think that way; he just felt that he saw things that nobody else would see at first.

He snapped out of looking at the image of himself in the mirror and resumed walking through the town. Half an hour later he was near a section of the forest where, covered in yellow daffodils, was a single grave, with the name 'Amanda Beryl' embedded on its face.

The town didn't burry her in the normal graveyard, only making its decision because she was the only casualty of the Snagem raid two years ago. He had attended the funeral, cried a lot because of it, but he was past the tears now. His sorrow had ended years ago, replaced by determination to make the memory of his mother proud of him.

He took Harold's Pokeball and released him in front of the grave. "Hey there Harold, before we go I just wanted to show off to someone special." He said with a small smile.

"**Tree?"** Harold asked.

Jacob nodded and pointed at the grave, which made Harold look between Jacob and the grave, as though he were trying to put two and two together. "Yea… that's my mom." He said sadly. "In any case, we won't be long, but I just want to tell my mom something as well as introduce her to you."

"**Treecko…"** Harold said sadly, nodding as though he understood why Jacob was doing this.

"Hey mom, I know it's been a while since my last visit… but I just wanted you to meet Harold, as well as hear the big news." He said with a grin. "Actually instead of me, I'll let Dexter tell it…"

Jacob stepped forward, pulled out the Pokedex and activated it, punching in the command to recite its owner's identity and trainer ID number, before turning it around to face the grave. _[I AM DEXTER; A POKEDEX PROGRAMMED BY PROFESSOR NOMEL FOR THE POKEMON TRAINER JACOB BERYL OF THE TOWN OF LITTLEROOT.]_ It said. _[MY FUNCTION IS TO PROVIDE JACOB WITH INFORMATION AND ADVICE WITH POKEMON AND THEIR TRAINING. IF LOST OR STOLEN I CANNOT BE REPLACED! MY TRAINER'S ID NUMBER IS 05105-421-L6]_

Jacob closed his Pokedex and put it back in his pocket, before looking at his mother's grave again. "Yea mom, I'm a trainer now, I bet you'd be proud of me now!" He said with a smile. "I have a long journey ahead of me, but now that I have Harold with me, I know I'll do you proud and come back home a really great trainer! I promise I'll make a lot of friends, and learn even more about Pokemon then I ever did before! So mom, watch over us and keep a seat ready on the couch, because you might just see us on the big screen."

"**Tree… Treecko Tree!"** Harold said to the grave, and Jacob guessed he was probably saying he would do his best for Jacob.

Jacob nodded and returned Harold to his a Pokeball, giving one last smile at his mother's grave before turning and heading in the direction of the orphanage to pick up something. He still had one final destination before he could leave Littleroot for the first time in his life.

=One hour later=

Everyone had wished him luck at the orphanage, throwing him a goodbye party, and saying they'll be watching for him on the Pokeleague TV station. He was happy that they would be watching for him, and as he reached the section of the forest where the tall grass was so thick, and the trees so clumped, that nobody could enter or see past their leafy wall. You couldn't enter unless of course you knew where the grass permitted entry into the Sanctuary.

Jacob walked through the grass slowed down only because he had to be careful not to trip over anything, and once through the grass, saw the wonderful place that had become a second home to him. Fifty feet wide from side to side, with a pond of fresh water to drink, trees that bore fruit and berries to eat, and comfortable cushions of varying sizes scattered around, the Sanctuary was a paradise for him. It had been here that he had learned about Pokemon and everything else that he had learned over the last four years.

Yet it was the solitary Pokemon that stood ten feet tall, watching him enter with his reddish eyes, not having aged or changed at all this time, which captured his attention. His mentor, his adopted father, and perhaps closest friend in the world, Arceus, or as Jacob always called him, Arky.

Arceus watched him enter, sitting down on one of the cushions, giving off the air of one who was wise and powerful. **(Did you get it?)** He asked in Jacob's head.

Jacob smiled and pulled out his Pokedex, flipped it open, and pressed the buttons to once more give its trainer's identification. _[I AM DEXTER; A POKEDEX PROGRAMMED BY PROFESSOR NOMEL FOR THE POKEMON TRAINER JACOB BERYL OF THE TOWN OF LITTLEROOT. MY FUNCTION IS TO PROVIDE JACOB WITH INFORMATION AND ADVICE WITH POKEMON AND THEIR TRAINING. IF LOST OR STOLEN I CANNOT BE REPLACED! MY TRAINER'S ID NUMBER IS 05105-421-L6]_

**(Congratulations Jacob, you are finally a Pokemon Trainer!)** Arceus said, smiling the only way he could express it visually, with his eyes. **(Your mother would be proud of you.)**

"Yea I know Arky." Jacob said, replacing the Pokedex in his pocket. "Would you like to meet my Pokemon? His name is Harold and he's…"

**(A Treecko.)** Arceus said in a matter of fact tone. **(I knew you'd pick Treecko Jacob.)**

"How, I never mentioned it in my lessons." Jacob said, wondering how his teacher could possibly have guessed.

**(When we started learning about Pokemon types, you asked me to go over grass types first.)** Arceus said with a smile, motioning with his head for Jacob to walk over and sit with him on the cushion. **(When you asked to learn about them, I knew you had an affinity for grass types. You always were more connected with the realm of nature around you; as such a grass type is a perfect match for your first Pokemon. You made a wise and good choice for your starter, but I hope you won't just use Harold and grass types in general.)**

"Oh I have no plans of just using Harold or grass types in general in my travels Arky." Jacob said, leaning heavily on his teacher's side. "I wonder what we'll encounter when we go on our journey. You think one day, you can show me more of the world besides Hoenn Arky?"

Jacob waited for Arceus to respond, and when he didn't Jacob looked at his teacher. "Arky?"

Arceus looked back at Jacob, and this time he felt the sadness in his tone. **(I'm afraid Jacob that its time that we parted ways.)** He said sadly. **(This is your journey to take, not mine. You must find your own path on your own, and learn about this world on your own. I cannot walk along this path with you. I've taught you everything you've learned, and I've taught you how to live off of the land and care for yourself.)**

Jacob watched as Arceus looked away, staring at the sky as he usually did when thinking deep thoughts. **(We both know that you must stand on your own eventually Jacob. I have done all I could to prepare you for this day, now it's up to you Jacob Beryl… the world is yours to explore now. I have done my task and taught you everything I could; it's up to you now to use what you've learned in your journey.)**

Jacob nodded, and tears welled up as he looked at his teacher, knowing that Arceus could not be there forever for him, just like his mother. He had to learn on his own from now on about the world. "Thank you for everything Arky." Jacob said, giving his teacher's neck a hug. "I promise to make you proud and not let you down. I really wish you could come with me though, I've never left Littleroot so… well you know."

Arceus nodded in understanding. **(I know, but don't worry about it; in fact I have a gift for you…)** He said.

"A gift?" Jacob asked.

Arceus stood up and moved aside to reveal a book, about seven inches tall and five inches wide, colored purple with a large black 'A' on it. In front of the 'A' was a yellow symbol with four green spots, mimicking that golden wheel Arceus had wrapped around him.

"What is it?" Jacob asked as he picked up the book, noticing that the front and back covers were about five centimeters thick. When he opened it he saw that there was only one single page stuck to the back cover and a special yellow pen in an open slot embedded into the book's front cover.

**(That is my book that I created for you today.)** Arceus said. **(This book is a special book, but rather than explain it you'll see for yourself if you write in it. Just write how you're feeling about this book and what you think it does.)**

Jacob nodded and took the pen, and started writing about how he was thoroughly confused as to why Arceus gave him a book with only one page. As he wrote, Arceus turned away, apparently so he wouldn't see what Jacob was writing.

After he finished writing and replaced the pen where it was, Jacob watched in amazement as the words he had just written started vanishing, leaving the page completely blank. At the same Arceus seemed to close his eyes for a moment, before opening them and turning to face Jacob, smiling in the only way he could. **(You just wrote about how confused you were, wondering why I gave you a book that only had one page.)** He said.

"How did…" Jacob asked.

**(You see, this is a special book that I spent all night creating just for you.)** Arceus said, using his powers to hold the book in thin air before Jacob. **(This book has a direct connection to my mind, whatever you write I will hear and whatever feelings your feeling as you write it will be felt by me. This way even if I cannot be there to help you through the coming trials, I will still be there to experience them, as if I were with you. The pen I also created, it will only work with this book and the book's power only works with this pen, so nothing you write with another writing tool will appear or be felt. The pen will never run out of ink, so you don't have to worry about refilling it or running out of ink.)**

**(I know I can't be there with you, but this is my way of saying that I'll be there with you in spirit.)** Arceus said, handing the book back to Jacob. **(Do you like it?)**

Jacob nodded and thanked Arceus for his wonderful gift. "I love it, and I promise I'll take good care of it Arky."

**(Promise me you will write in it each day, or at least when something happens that is noteworthy?)** Arceus asked.

"You bet I will Arky, I'll write in it every day I bet!"

**(Just one word of caution, do not let another write in the book.)** He said seriously. **(This book is meant for you, and only you. If another writes in it, I will assume something terrible has happened to you, and you require my help. This is also my way of finding you if you need my rescue. If anyone but you writes in it, I will think the worst is happening and rush to rescue you. I promised your mother I would keep you safe, and I mean to keep it.)**

"I will Arky, I will." Jacob said, knowing that he had two treasured gifts from his teacher.

One was his bracelet, and now he had this book.

**(Now… as for your journey… I have one other gift for you, one that every trainer needs!)** He said, turning around and lifting one of the cushions with his powers, revealing a large green backpack, apparently stuffed to the brim with supplies, and even had a tightly rolled up sleeping bag strapped beneath it. **(Your backpack, I've already gone ahead and provided you some basic cooking tools, medical supplies, food and drink from the Sanctuary, and an all-weather sleeping bag for the outdoors. There's a map of the Hoenn region buried in there as well, and the backpack has multiple pockets to hold other items that you may happen to come across. And I know you said to not worry about money, but I've given you enough to get on your feet and get going in your travels.)**

Jacob looked at Arceus with a surprised look. "You gave me money to start my journey with Arky?" He asked, impressed at his teacher's thoroughness. "Where did you get money from Arky?"

**(Uh… places…)**

"You made it didn't you?" Jacob asked with a grin.

**(Maybe…)** Arceus chuckled.

"Arky, have I ever mentioned how cool you are?"

**(On occasion.)**

"Thank you for everything Arky, really." Jacob said, picking up the backpack and strapping it to his back.

**(It's my pleasure Jacob.)** Arceus said, watching as he put the backpack on to see how it felt and looked. **(Well look at you now Jacob, four years ago you were just a small boy running from a pack of Mightyena. Now look at you, a true Pokemon Trainer, ready to take on the world.)**

"Yea… let's just hope I don't go starving the first week!" Jacob said as gave one final shrug with the backpack to make sure it would sit tight and snug.

**(I'm sure you won't Jacob.)** Arceus said. **(Remember Jacob, the Sanctuary is your home and will always be your home. If you want to stay here for any reason, you may do so, you are always welcomed here. As for me, I'll stay here and watch over the Sanctuary.)**

Jacob knew Arceus was trying to stall to prolong the time they had together, and that above everything warmed his heart to his teacher. Nodding at his teacher's declarations, he leaned forward and gave Arceus one final hug around his neck. "Wish me luck Arky." He said, giving the message that it was time for him to go.

Arceus nodded in understanding, knowing it was time to let Jacob leave his nest. **(No… I wish you safe travels.)** He said. **(Go now Jacob… the world awaits you…)**

Jacob nodded and let go of Arceus before walking away from him. He turned and looked at his teacher, still standing where he was, not moving away or looking away from Jacob as he left the Sanctuary.

Parting is always hard for two individuals who have grown attached to one another. For Jacob, it was leaving the father he wished he had all his life, for indeed Arceus had done so much for him in four years that was only rivaled by his mother, as though he had taken up the parental position that had been abandoned by his real dad and he had lost in his mother. For Arceus, it was watching his student leave his care and safety that he had provided for over four years since he first met Jacob running for his life. He may not have imagined that he would become so attached to the boy, but somewhere deep down he didn't mind.

They parted today, but thanks to a book, they'd always be together.

=A Battle=

Jacob looked up at the evening sky as he settled down in a spot near Oldale town, unpacking his pack to check on the supplies that Arceus had provided for him to start with.

As he emptied his bag he sorted everything out in front of him. He had several basic small pots and pans to cook over a fire with, as well as several fire starters. He also had several cooking spoons, forks, several bowls, some other utensils, and a cooking tripod. For food, he had about two dozen fruits and fifteen small bags full of berries from the Sanctuary's trees, as well as some herbs to cook the fruits in if he and his Pokemon prefer soup. He also found several bottles of fresh water, each of which clearly came from the Sanctuary's pond. The next thing he checked was the 'money' that Arceus said he had given him.

It turns out that Arceus hadn't given him money, at least in the sense that Jacob knew, instead it was something just as valuable. Inside one of the pockets were two small gold nuggets, glistening in the sparkling sunlight as the sun began setting. Knowing the value of such gold nuggets, Jacob guessed he had about ten thousand Pokedollars to spend at the moment for supplies.

After he checked his financial situation, he examined the sleeping bag he had been given. It was a really large sleeping bag; capable of fitting at least two large individuals, extremely warm, waterproof, and even had a zipper that could enclose whoever was inside to keep them from getting wet. This meant that barring the worst of weathers, he didn't need a tent.

As for clothes, somehow Arceus had managed to supply him with a complete selection of clothing, including shirts, shorts, pants, undergarments, socks, all stuffed together and rolled into tight bundles. Included with the clothing bundles were several washing soaps for him to use, as well as for his clothes, along with toothpaste, a toothbrush, wash cloths, a towel, a box of matches, and miniature umbrella.

Finally he checked the medical supplies that his teacher had supplied him with, they were basic medical supplies for Pokemon such as antidotes, poison cures, burn heals, paralysis heals, a few potions and even one Full Heal. For him or other humans, there were some bandages, cough drops, some rubbing alcohol, and other supplies he might need.

"Wow, he really did think of everything!" Jacob whispered to himself as he even found the map of Hoenn buried in one of the pots. "Arky, you are the best…"

He decided that he would take his first night as a trainer there, not deciding to walk through the night toward Oldale. So far he had yet to encounter any wild Pokemon, which was unusual considering that many trainers would have run into one or two by the time they reached Oldale. As he started packing everything back into the backpack, he left only the fire starter and he box of matches so that he could cook a small meal with the fruit and a few berries for him and Harold.

Once he had all the supplies, the cooking tripod, the small pot, two bowls, knife, spoon, one of the Sanctuary fruits, and a handful of berries, he took out Harold's Pokeball and released him. In a flash Harold appeared and gave his cry.

"**Treecko!"** He said, looking around at Jacob.

"Hi Harold, we've just been traveling and it's almost getting dark, so I figured I might as well start cooking us up some dinner!" Jacob said as he replaced the Pokeball back on his belt. "Would you be willing to help me gather some firewood while I prepare the soup?"

"**Treecko tree!"** Harold replied, giving a salute as he ran away on all fours to gather sticks.

An hour later, a wonderful aroma of berry and fruit soup mixed with a special herb for flavor filled the air around the two's campsite, as a small fire heated and cooked the small pot of food in the night. Thanks to his lessons he knew how to prepare the food and even the fire to make sure that it didn't spread. He had gathered stones and cleared the area for the fire, making sure to prepare it properly. After Harold had gathered enough fallen branches and sticks from around the area while Jacob cut, sliced, and sprinkled the ingredients into the pot, he started the fire and began cooking their first meal.

It wasn't too bad either, he thought to himself as he and Harold dug into his cooking, thanks to his lessons from Arceus. Although it took him most of a year to finally learn how to cook properly, he had to admit that everything he had endured was finally paying off. He remembered his first attempts to cook, and all the wasted food and burn smells that resulted from his inexperience. Arceus had to take a lot of his attempts outside the Sanctuary in order to Hyper Beam them out of existence.

The memory made him laugh.

"**Tree?" **Harold asked curiously as he finished his bowl.

"Nothing Harold, I'm just remembering how my cooking now compares to what it was before." He said with a grin.

"**Treecko?"**

"When I started learning how to cook, all I could ever manage was, well let's just say the results were always black, smoking, smelled terrible, and needed to be removed from reality via my teacher's Hyper Beam."

"**Treecko ko ko ko!"** Harold laughed, rolling onto his back and clutching himself.

"Hey I had to start somewhere!" Jacob said, blushing with embarrassment on his face as he drank the last of his soup.

After they finished eating, and talked a bit more about the food, Jacob asking what Harold thought about his first meal, before he returned Harold into his Pokeball for the night. Then he put out the fire using a lot of dirt, leaving a smoke trail as he unrolled his sleeping bag for the night. As he settled into the sleeping bag, he decided to pull out Arceus' book.

He pulled the book open and found that the book had a special feature that his teacher clearly neglected to share. The moment he opened the book, the golden pen that came with it, and even the paper itself, glowed brilliantly in the night. The pen gave off so much light off that he could clearly see everything around him within a few inches, but no further.

"Goodness Arky, you were holding out on me." He said as he took the pen and began to write about the day's events, only saying that he wished he had his teacher to make sure he wasn't using too much of his ingredients. After that he closed the book and slid it somewhere in the sleeping bag and placed his hat alongside it, before he closed his eyes and slept through the night.

The next morning he rolled up his sleeping bag, holstered his backpack, and headed off to Oldale town.

The town was almost like his hometown of Littleroot, except it had a real Pokemon Center, a proper Pokemart, and a lot more trainers wandering through it then he had ever seen in his days in Littleroot. Many of them were conversing with each other, others examining maps, and some running around doing whatever agenda they were following. There were a few showing off their Pokemon as well, he saw two trainers comparing Mightyenas, one showing off a pair of Wurmples in his arms while a third crawled around on his back, and another letting her Shroomish bounce along behind her as she skipped through the streets.

"Wow, look at all the Pokemon and Trainers!" Jacob whispered to himself as yet more trainers walked into view, some showing off their Pokemon as well.

While it was true that he should expect this kind of image after finally leaving Littleroot, a town not very well known for its Trainer Population, or known for its lack of, but it still amazed him at just how many trainers he was seeing just from entering the town. There had to be at least a hundred trainers just in the small section of the town where the Pokemon Center and Pokemart were located.

However as he walked through town, deciding to sell one of his nuggets for money in case he needed to buy supplies later on down the road, he noticed something taped to the wall of a building surrounded by police bikes, which was clearly the Oldale Police Center. As he walked by the station he saw a sign pasted on the building wall, one that brought up bad memories that he really didn't need to be reminded of so early in his journey.

**[Wanted: Team Snagem, Any sighting of individuals with the following symbol on them should be reported IMMEDIATELY to the nearest Police Center!]**

Below the wanted notice was a picture of a purple hand clutching a purple Pokeball, the universal symbol of Team Snagem's members.

Remembering it brought up memories of the attack on Littleroot, the burning of his fire, and most importantly, the loss of his mother. As he stared at it a pair of trainers passed by, both talking about the very topic he was staring at.

"Did you hear in the news, a couple of Snagem members were captured and arrested in Lilycove City?" A female trainer said to her twin.

"Yea, but the rest got away; I hear they stole a lot of Pokemon from the nearby Safari Zone." The twin said.

"Why do they have to steal from a Safari Zone?" The first twin said. "It doesn't make sense though, first stealing from trainers, then from a Safari Zone? It doesn't make sense…"

They left at about the same time as Jacob turned and left, ignoring the sign and trying to ignore the suppressed anger inside of him as he remembered all of the bad thoughts he had about Team Snagem.

He hated them for taking his mother away, for hurting his town, and especially for ruining his young life. The only silver lining was that he was still able to receive his lessons from Arky. If it weren't for that, he would have lost all will to keep going with his dream of becoming a trainer.

_*Arky taught me not to use my newfound status as a trainer to seek revenge, fighting one evil by performing another evil does not equal a good ending for me.*_

It took a long while, but eventually he banished the thought of using his trainer life to hunt down Snagem from his mind. He wanted to see the world, see and learn about every kind of Pokemon he could, and above all keep his promise to his teacher and someday teach what he learned from Arceus to others.

"Yea… I'll let the law fight the unlawful, but if Snagem tries anything near me, then I can fight them." He said to himself as he headed to the Pokemon Center, remembering something about registering himself for the new Pokemon League Challenge.

After he registered at the center by Nurse Joy, one of many in her family she told him, he had Harold checked out to make sure he was healthy. She informed him he was at the peak of health, and to simply keep feeding him on a daily basis to keep it that way. Afterwards he consulted his map and decided that his next destination was Petalburg City. Before he left though, he headed to the Pokemart and sold one of his nuggets from Arceus and purchased a few canned food supplies, knowing that his supply of fruit and berries would only last so long.

However he only purchased enough to last a few weeks, knowing that unless he was absurdly slow, the journey from Oldale to Petalburg would take at most two or three days.

However just as he began to leave Oldale for Petalburg, he heard a voice he instantly recognized.

"Hey there Slowpoke!" The voice of Jessy Garnet declared as he just about reached the edge of town.

He turned to his left to see Jessy walking toward him with the clear swagger of self-superiority she always seemed to illuminate whenever she talked to him. Even after four years, she had changed very little on the inside; however the outside was another story. She had grown to just a few inches below five feet, wore a scarlet red bandana over her natural brown hair, having stopped dyeing it two years ago. She also wore a yellow shirt with a red light jacket and sported a dark red set of pants. Yet just like Jacob, one thing that had not changed about her was her ruby red colored eyes, looking as though they were burning her eyes up.

"Hello Jessy." Jacob said when she was close enough.

'Well look at you, finally left our old nest that is Littleroot huh?" Jessy said with a grin, clearly poking fun at the fact that he had never once left their home. "Well pull it out; let me hear your Pokedex say the magical words."

Jacob sighed as he pulled his Pokedex out and pushed the buttons to have it state his name, its purpose, and his Trainer ID. "Satisfied now Jessy?" He asked as he put it away.

"You bet I am Jacob, I mean how long did it take for you to get here to Oldal?" She said with an excited squeal. "I got here two days ago; I've been waiting here for you to show up so we could start our own little competition. I was starting to wonder if you actually wanted to become a trainer."

"Hey it just took me a little while longer okay?" Jacob said, trying to at least save some face in front of his childhood friend. "I had something to do with Arky and by the time I was finished Professor Nomel was gone, so I had to wait until the next day to get my trainer license."

"I'm guessing Arky was going over some lesson or something with you, am I right?" Jessy asked with an annoyed look. "Really Jacob, even after four years you never once introduced me to this Arky. I'm wondering if he even exists at this point."

"Oh he so exists, in fact he gave me my entire backpack." Jacob responded, pointing at the backpack as proof.

Jessy folded he arms with a grin and looked at him out of the corner of one eye. "Alright then you and I can finally settle that old score that we've had." She said with a smirk. "I seem to recall us never being able to prove once and for all who had the better teacher in terms of Pokemon. Well we both have our starter Pokemon, so why don't we have a little battle to see who had the better end of their teacher's lessons?"

"You are on!" Jacob said with a smile, confident that at this point, he could easily hold his own against his rival since childhood.

They both left the town together and started drawing attention of all the trainers who watched started fallowing behind them, clearly knowing a Pokemon battle was about to start. After they were a short distance from the town, they separated and gave each other a large space with which to see the entire battlefield and so that their Pokemon wouldn't hurt anyone nearby. Meanwhile a small crowd of about ten or fifteen trainers had gathered to watch the newbies for their first battle.

"You ready Jacob?" Jessy said, pulling out a Pokeball from her belt and holding it ready.

"Whenever you are!" Jacob called out, taking Harold's ball out and holding it at the ready.

"Then let's get this started!" Jessy shouted as she and Jacob both threw their Pokeballs at the same time. "Come on out Flare!"

"Harold, you're up!" Jacob shouted.

At once both balls opened up and released the Pokemon inside of them; first to materialize was Harold, who appeared with a resounding **"Treecko!"**

Next to materialize was Flare, and as soon as he heard the name Jacob instantly knew he was at a massive disadvantage, because the Pokemon that materialized was a Torchic, a fire type Pokemon. The Torchic, Flare, looked like a small orange, flightless bird with small yellow puffs of fur for wings. **"Torchic!" **It chirped with a determined look.

_*A fire type, oh man this is going to be hard.*_ Jacob thought as both Pokemon stared at their owners.

"So you got Treecko huh, I figured as much." Jessy said with a smirk. "We always were the nature boy and pyromaniac of Littleroot, it's only fitting that we both start out with our respective Pokemon natures."

"So it seems Jessy." Jacob said as watched both Pokemon seem to listen in on their conversation to understand why they were about to battle.

"Well Jacob, I hope this Arky that trained you did a good job, because I'm not letting my dad's lessons go to waste!" Jessy said, assuming an aggressive stance with her Flare following her example. "Show me what you learned Jacob!"

"You know I will!" Jacob said, mimicking Jessy's stance with Harold following him.

"Flare start this battle off with Peck!"

"**Torchic!"** Flare shouted, rushing at Harold, beak jabbing forward as it ran.

"Harold counter with Pound!" Jacob shouted quickly, knowing from his lessons that peck required momentum to be effective.

Instantly Harold obeyed the instruction and charged Flare before turning to use his green tail to smack his opponent. The two Pokemon separated and waited for their trainers instructions.

"Not bad Jacob, but don't think Flare is going down that easy." Jessy shouted.

"Harold isn't a wimp either Jessy!" Jacob shouted, confident that he at least stood a chance, remembering his lessons with Arky.

They had only been trainers for at most a few days, there was no way she had an advantage over him. Sure she had the type advantage, but both Pokemon were still too young and inexperienced to take full advantage of that difference. At most they could probably only peck and smack each other, with maybe a leer or a growl, but nothing more than that.

"Well why don't we turn up the heat then?" Jessy said with a smile. "Flare, EMBER ATTACK!"

"What?" Jacob shouted in disbelief as Flare opened its mouth and sent a quick burst of fire at Harold. "Harold, dodge it now!"

Harold barely avoided the attack at the last minute, but the flames had caught him off guard as well.

"Flare, give him another Ember!" Jessy shouted again, not losing her stance as her Torchic opened its mouth and sent yet another quick burst of flame at Harold.

"Uh… d… dodge it!" Jacob shouted quickly, trying to figure out how to fight this sudden change of a battle.

Harold hesitated at the order and once again barely dodged the attack, but it was a near miss again, the ember had singed part of Harold's leg.

"You can't dodge forever Jacob, Peck attack!" Jessy shouted.

"**Torchic!"** Flare called out as it ran toward Harold, jabbing its beak forward like before.

"Harold, counter it with Pound again!" Jacob yelled out, trying his best to remain calm and keep his head clear.

Harold nodded and raced forward, tail ready to smack Flare again. The next scene played out like before, with Harold bringing his tail to smack Flare heavily in the face, but this time Jessy smirked.

"Gotcha, Flare use Ember attack one more time!" She shouted.

Flare nodded and opened its mouth to let off a point blank Ember attack, one that Harold couldn't dodge. **"Treeeeee!" **Harold shouted in pain as he was blasted back to Jacob in a small ball of flame. **"Ko!"**

As Harold landed heavily in front of Jacob he instantly grabbed and held him before returning him to his Pokeball, knowing he had to get him to the Pokemon Center to heal him. Meanwhile Jessy was congratulating her Flare before returning the Torchic back into the Pokeball. After a round of applause from their spectators they both headed to the Pokemon Center to heal Harold and Flare. While Nurse Joy was treating their Pokemon he finally spoke to his rival.

"How did your Flare learn Ember so quickly, if you two just started working together two days ago?" He asked Jessy as she pulled out a soda from her backpack.

Jessy waited to take a sip before she told him. "Just because you didn't do any training with your Harold doesn't mean I didn't do any with my Flare." She said. "Believe me you fought well, and it was an honor to battle you, but you need to wake up, just because you learned about what Pokemon are like doesn't mean you understand how to fight with them."

Jacob remained silent as he waited for Jessy to continue; clearly she had more to say but was only pausing to drink her soda. "After I got Flare I went here to Oldale to wait for you, believe me I wanted our first battle to be more even then it was back there." She said. "However, Flare and I got tired of waiting after a whole day with no sign of you and doing nothing but sitting and waiting, so with my help she learned how to use Ember. We were training on the route to Petalburg yesterday all day when it happened. A Tailow was attacking me as I tried to prepare us lunch, so to protect me Flare used Ember and scared the Tailow away. It's not the way I had imagined her learning Ember, but then again we weren't expecting to be ambushed by a Tailow while trying to eat lunch. So I'm guessing that battle was your very first battle with Harold?"

"Yea, I didn't run into any trainers or wild Pokemon on the way here from Littleroot, and I started late so by the time night came I was still not near Oldale town." Jacob answered. "Now I feel like a loser, I was so hoping to prove you wrong about Arky being a bad teacher. Yet you ended up making me look like a fool, in front of a crowd no less. I'm almost glad Arky wasn't here to see me fail so badly, I feel like I'd let him down after all he taught me."

"Hey Jacob, don't sweat it, just consider that a practice run for our REAL battle." Jessy said with a smug expression as Nurse Joy called for her. "When we really battle, and I mean REALLY battle, it will determine who the better trainer is and who had the better teacher. Besides if what I've seen from that fight, you were taught quite a lot. So don't take it too hard, and when we battle again, make sure you have some strong Pokemon, because I won't go easy on you next time!"

Jacob nodded as he watched Jessy walk away to collect her Pokemon before waving him goodbye and heading out of the Pokemon Center. "You call our first battle going easy on me?" He whispered silently as he started beating himself up yet again for letting Harold get so hurt.

=A Ralts=

_[Torchic, the Chick Pokemon, Torchic is said to attack by spitting out balls of fire that it forms in its stomach. It is also said that it hates darkness because it cannot see its surroundings.]_

"So that's what a Torchic is huh?" Jacob asked as he absentmindedly walked down a dirt road near a field full of wild grass where some trainers were battling and training their Pokemon.

Several hours after his battle with Jessy, Jacob decided to continue on his journey to Petalburg City. Before he left Oldale however, he wrote in the book Arky gave him, and talked about the battle, apologizing for losing his first important battle. Then he released Harold from his ball, apologized to him for letting him get hurt, and treated him to another meal for doing so well in their first battle. After that he left and headed down route 102 to Petalburg City. The trip would take him about two full days to make, but he didn't mind how long it would be.

As he traveled down a dirt road, the first thing he thought of was the kind of wild Pokemon that he would encounter. He checked his Pokedex as he walked, ignoring some of the trainers who he happened to encounter, including a really enthusiastic boy wearing shirts and a t-shirt. According to the Pokedex the majority of Pokemon were Tailow, Poocheyena, with their occasional, but almost never seen, adult Pokemon forms, Swellow and Mightyena. There was also another Pokemon that was registered to be in the area of Route 102, but before he could check what the Pokemon's name was he was brought back to reality.

"Hey there!" A female voice called out to him as he was about to enter the command to inquire about those Pokemon's identity.

He looked up to see a teenaged girl walking toward him with a smile on her face and juggling a Pokeball in her hand. "Hi, can I help you?" Jacob asked.

"First tell me, how many Pokemon do you have and are any of them a Wurmple or Poocheyena?" She said.

"I only have one and it isn't either of them." Jacob said.

"Then yea, you can help me get my trainer's itch settled with a battle." She said with a grin. "I haven't had a single battle all day and all these other trainers have nothing but Wurmples and Poochyena."

"I'm guessing you don't like Wurmples and Poochyena?" Jacob said with a grin, taking Harold's ball out in preparation for the fight.

"No, I just don't like fighting the same Pokemon over and over again." She said with a grin. "Let the bug enthusiasts and silly pooch lovers have their fun, I prefer to battle different types of Pokemon! So tell me, you feel like sating my itch for a fight?"

"Only if you tell me if I'm on the right road to Petalburg City!" He said.

"Deal, now let's get this battle started!" She said, tossing her Pokeball into the air. "Ziggles, rise to the challenge!"

In a flash of light a short, four legged Pokemon with a brown and white zigzag pattern on its body. **"Zigzagoon!"** It shouted as it materialized.

"A Zigzagoon huh?" Jacob said, knowing all about the Pokemon thanks to his lessons. "Well here we go, you're up now Harold!"

He released Harold from his ball and a second later he materialized with his battle cry and a look of determination.

"Well a Treecko, never seen one before, now this is a battle I can dig!" The girl said with a fierce laugh. "Well let's get this fight started, Ziggles, Tackle attack!"

"Harold Counter with Pound!" Jacob shouted right after.

"**Zig!"** Ziggles shouted as he ran head first at Harold, while Harold waited for him.

At the last moment Harold jumped and smacked its tail into the Zigzagoon's face, causing it to backflip. However it recovered and landed on all fours, looking even more determined than it did before.

"Ziggles isn't going down so easily kid, so don't count us out yet!" The girl said. "Ziggles use Tackle one more time!"

Ziggles nodded and charged once again at Harold.

"Harold use Leer to throw it off!" Jacob shouted quickly, coming up with a plan.

"**Treeeee..CKO!"** Harold said as its eyes glowed brightly for a split second, causing Ziggles to slow down for a brief moment.

"Now Harold, Pound attack one more time!" Jacob said quickly.

Harold responded by jumping forward, using Ziggles' own momentum to decrease the distance and maximize the damage he inflicted. In one move, Harold brought his tail down and smacked Ziggles in the head, causing the Zigzagoon to collapse, its eyes spiraling around, a clear indication it was defeated.

"Ziggles return!" The girl shouted, taking the Pokeball and returning her Pokemon to the safety of its ball.

"Return Harold." Jacob said, recalling his own Pokemon back. "Hey is Ziggles alright, I didn't think Harold's attack would hurt that mu…"

"That was SO MUCH FUN!" The teenaged girl said happily, grabbing Jacob's hand and shaking it rather roughly. "I can't believe how much fun that battle was, first I was like 'Whoaaa' at the sight of your Harold, then you were like 'Whoa' when Ziggles came out on the attack, and then we both like 'Booya' when we started to really battle!"

"Wait you're not upset, even though you just lost?" He asked.

"How can I be upset, I just had an amazing battle? Sure it was short but it was still amazing!" She happily shouted.

"Uh… is Ziggles okay?" He asked.

He was confused at how this trainer could be happy after losing and really not understanding where she got all of her spunk.

"Oh Ziggles, don't worry, he's alright!" She said, still shaking his hand like a jackhammer. "Believe me you just caught us off guard with that leer, but he really enjoyed the battle, in fact he enjoyed it a lot more then you realize. You see we've only ever fought Wurmples and Poochyena and the occasional Tailow, but man when I showed him your Harold I could FEEL how pumped he was to fight! We were getting so bored fighting a bunch of boring bugs and puppies, now your Harold was an exciting match and I can't WAIT to see another Pokemon like yours again! Ziggles loves to fight, really loves to get in there and take on any Pokemon we come across, but we never could fight anything that wasn't a Wurmple or a Poochyena, it's like every trainer we come across only has those! Leme ask, no don't tell me, you just started and that was one of those super cool, not really easy to find around these parts, starter Pokemon that Pokemon Professors give out to starting trainers right?"

"Uh… yea… I think?" Jacob said.

"Oh wow no wonder Ziggles and I didn't have a chance!" The girl said excitedly. "Now I NEED to know your name, come on tell me, my name is Karen by the way!"

"My name is Jacob, Jacob Beryl…" He said. "You really are okay with Ziggles getting hurt like that? It looked like it was really painful."

"Oh don't worry, like I said Ziggles is just fine getting hurt!" Karen said, brushing off Jacob's question as though her Pokemon getting beat was a normal thing. "He just needs a few hours rest and he'll be fine! He's a lot tougher then he look, believe me I've had him for a while now and we know each other inside an out!"

"Okay… I just figured…" Jacob started saying before Karen once again grabbed his hand and shook it like a jackhammer.

"Don't worry about it, tell ya what I'll head back to Oldale Town and have him treated at the Pokecenter just to ease your worries!" She said with a grin. "In fact I'll head there now, hope to see you in the future someday, in fact I know I will because you look like your taking on the Pokemon League Challenge, just like me! Maybe we'll meet in a tournament or something."

"Okay…" Jacob said, watching as Karen left, heading back to Oldale Town and giving him a parting wave. "Arky was right… there are just as many different trainers as there are different Pokemon."

As he decided to resume his trek to Petalburg City, he suddenly had the sensation that he was being watched.

He looked around, but couldn't see anything. He could have sworn that the sensation he felt was familiar, but he couldn't think of anything from his lessons that could lend him insight. _*Perhaps it's just me being cautious.*_ He thought to himself as he turned and continued walking down the road.

(Four hours later, 8:42 PM)

"Now tell me this doesn't smell like a good meal!" Jacob said to Harold as he took a whiff of his latest culinary creations.

They didn't get very far from where they had the battle with Karen, since they started so late in the day to actually travel to Petalburg City. This meant that about two hours of walking after they battled Karen meant they had to set up camp for their last meal before bed. It took another hour to gather the wood and prepare the food for cooking, and now one final hour later, the results turned out to be yet another masterful creation on Jacob's part.

"All those cooking lessons are definitely coming in handy now." He said as he dug two bowls out and a spoon for him and Harold.

Today's dinner was a mix of Oran Berries that he had found while walking, and some special herbs and spices he had purchased from the Pokemart back in Oldale Town, and had one of the Sanctuary's fruits as a main ingredient for the soup. Both of their stomachs were quite empty, and battling the occasional trainer every ten or fifteen minutes after his bout with Karen had made them both ravenous.

Yet still he and Harold had yet to encounter many wild Pokemon, which was quite odd because by now he should have encountered some by now. Still even without the wild Pokemon to battle against, or even to capture or learn about, Harold had learned a new trick thanks to the battles with the trainers he encountered, Absorb. Now Harold could use his new attack to siphon off some of his opponents stamina to increase his own during a fight.

They had decided to make camp and eat lunch right next to the tree line, mostly because he wanted to avoid encountering anymore trainers during the night, but as he looked out across the route and seeing multiple little dots of red and orange lights spread out across the field away from them, they seemed to have similar feelings.

"**Treecko!"** Harold said, eagerly digging into his meal after Jacob placed a fair amount in a bowl for him.

"You said it Harold, now let's…" Jacob said, but a moment later he felt a strange sensation in his head, as though he suddenly had a slight headache, but at the same time he felt a feeling he hadn't been feeling before.

It was though he was afraid of something, no someone.

"Huh…" Jacob whispered as he felt that sensation growing in him.

He didn't know what the sensation was, but it somehow felt familiar, or at least felt familiar to something he had felt before. Along with the sensation of fear was another feeling, one of worry, as though it were trying to judge whether or not to trust its fear or its worry.

"Harold do you feel weird?" Jacob asked Harold quietly, the night sounds weighing heavily around them for some reason.

"**Treecko…"** Harold said, already almost finished eating as he shook his head.

Jacob tried to ignore the feeling in his head, but as he was about to collect some food for himself, he again felt that strange headache, only this time there was a ravenous hunger that was desperate to be sated. Yet still the worry and fear combined seemed to overpower the hunger's voice.

That was when he remembered from his lessons, in particular the ones concerning a specific type of Pokemon that Arky had warned him to be weary of, but not afraid of. "A psychic type."

Knowing that the Pokemon was obviously close by, otherwise he wouldn't have felt the feeling in his head, he stood up and looked around, trying to spot it. "Hello?" He called out nervously. "Is anyone out there?"

The feeling suddenly shifted; apparently the psychic type wasn't fully experienced with its powers because it suddenly felt frightened at being discovered. Yet at the same time, it seemed happy and hopeful at the same time because it was discovered.

"It's okay, you can come out, if you're hungry there's plenty of food here for you!"

It took a few minutes but eventually the Pokemon trusted enough of Jacob's words, or at least calm enough to approach Jacob's small campfire. Once it entered the light of the campfire, Jacob saw a foot tall, white Pokemon with a green helmet like hair, and two pink horns poking out from its head.

"**Ralts…"** The little Pokemon said quietly, eyeing the food in his bowl with a pleading look.

"Hey there little one, are you hungry?" Jacob asked kindly, taking his bowl of food and presenting it to the little Pokemon.

"**Ral…"** The Pokemon asked him, repeating that first word, which Jacob assumed was called a Ralts because of what it said.

"Yea, it's alright, there's enough food here for everyone." Jacob said.

Harold watched as the little Ralts waddled closer to their little camp, and it was then that Jacob noticed a big reason why the little Pokemon was so hungry. Its stomach looked thin, like it had barely had a decent meal for a long time. Still he could feel the feelings coming from the little Ralts, and while it definitely had a fear of humans in general, it seemed to trust him as it carefully took the bowl from him. One whiff of the food along with a tentative lick however, and it dug into the bowl, within seconds the food was all gone.

"I'm guessing you were hungry?" Jacob asked curiously as he picked up the bowl and refilled it with what food remained, deciding that the little Ralts needed it more than him.

"**Raaaal…"** The Ralts said quietly as it graciously accepted the bowl of food.

"So what's the matter, why are you all alone?" He asked the Ralts, but only got a nervous feeling from the little psychic type.

"**Ralts… Ralts." **The Ralts said, pushing the now empty bowl back to Jacob with a short bow.

"Man… what I would give to know what you were saying." Jacob whispered to himself as he took the bowl and saw that it had been licked clean.

**(Thank… you… mister… nice… trainer!)**

Jacob looked shocked as he heard the words said in his mind, it was almost exactly just like how Arky talked to him. "Did you just talk?" He asked, wanting to make sure.

**(Yes… I… did.)** The Ralts said, looking at him, and this time the voice sounded more feminine.

"Why were you out here?" Jacob asked as Harold handed his bowl back, looking between Jacob and the Ralts in confusion.

**(I… was… really… hungry.)** It said. **(And… you… felt… nice… trustworthy… kind… nothing… like… those… other… humans!)**

"**Treecko?"** Harold asked him, trying to understand what was going on.

It took the female Ralts a good few hours to explain everything, mostly because she was only comfortable speaking through its telepathy with Jacob. Even when she spoke to him, her words were broken, having only learned a few words to talk with in her few weeks since hatching from an egg in the forest. Jacob himself only knew what it was thanks to his lessons on psychic Pokemon with Arky. However he and Harold learned of the Ralts' journey and how she came from living deep in the forest to being in their camp.

She was only two weeks old, and both her mother and father, a Gallade and Gardevoir, had been taken by a group of humans capturing wild Pokemon deep inside the forests, deeper than any normal trainer would have ventured. She had been too young and her parents had hidden her before they could see her, but they were captured, violently taken away, despite how strong they were. She didn't know what it was, but something about those humans frightened her, they were not normal trainers and they weren't average humans. At least none like her parents described them as when she asked about humans. When she tried finding her parents again when they left, she couldn't even sense their feelings anywhere near, and without their help she wandered the forest without food for so long. Even the local berries were hard for her to get, since most Pokemon and trainers either eat them or take them for their own uses before she had a chance to get to them. Then earlier when she was desperate for food that she wandered near the edge of the forest line was when she felt his and all the other trainers emotions.

She didn't trust any of the other trainers mostly because she sensed hostilities from them, especially those that resented losing and wanted desperately to win. However she did feel him from the bunch, and she felt his happiness as he watched his Pokemon perform so well, even when Harold lost. She was desperate for help, food, and anything that when she felt him she followed along behind him in the forest as his pace was five times as fast as her short waddles for hours.

**(I… so… alone… didn't… want… to… die…)** The little Ralts said to him alone while midnight ticked close, Harold had retreated back into his ball to rest.

Jacob held the Ralts close to him, wanting to give the poor thing some measure of comfort as the little fire he made began to die out. "I'm so sorry for your loss Ralts." He said soothingly. "If it makes you feel any better, I have no parents either."

**(Your… parents… taken… away… to?)** She asked him.

"Yea… you could say that." He said to her, his eyes very tired and itching for reprieve. "Snagem took my mother, but I know she wouldn't want me to mourn her forever. In any case, what do you want to do now? If you want I could help you find food so you won't starve in the wild in the morning and…"

**(You… won't… capture… me?)** She asked him nervously, and he could tell that she was worried.

"No, you're too young to fight and I would never capture a Pokemon that doesn't want to be captured." He said gently to her. "You should be free to live as you want, I won't force a Pokemon to fight if it doesn't want to."

**(You… mean… that!)** She said, and it was more of a statement then a comment. **(May… I... ask… you… favor?)**

"Sure, what is it?"

**(Can… I come… with you?)** She asked him nervously. **(But… no… capture… I don't… like… those… spheres… they… scare me…)**

"If you really want to come with me, sure it's alright." He said with a small smile. "And I won't put you in a Pokeball if you don't want to. I'm sure you have you reasons, but if you prefer staying out of the Pokeball entirely then I won't force you into one. Now… do you want a name?"

**(Name?)** She asked him, confused.

"Yea… you see most trainers sometimes name their Pokemon." He said with a smile. "Like Harold, he's a Treecko but I prefer to call him Harold, so that's his name. Do you want one like that?"

**(Yes… please… I would… like… name!)** She said happily.

"Hmm…" He thought for a moment, his eyes screaming for sleep but he ignored them to make sure the name he picked was good. "How do you feel about the name Sara, do you like it?"

**(Yes… I love… it!)** Sara said happily, giving him as close to a hug as her small form could manage.

"Okay Sara… well let's get to sleep, I'm really tired after walking all day."

The two went to his sleeping bag, him placing his Pokeball belt alongside his hat on one side, while he and his new traveling companion lay down on the other. Sara slept next to him, curled up and already fast asleep by the time he pulled out Arceus' book from the folds of the bag.

Wanting to be quick, he opened the book, pulled out the pen and began to write his message to Arceus.

"_Arky, I battled a few more trainers today, and won a few of my matches and even Harold learned how to use Absorb. It was a much better day then I first thought when I last wrote to you. Also, I made a new friend and traveling companion, a girl Ralts I named Sara, she doesn't like being inside Pokeballs so I decided to not capture her officially. Instead she's just going to tag along on my shoulder; I was really worried about her, after hearing her story about strange trainers that captured her parents deep in the forest. I don't know why they were so deep, but she seemed so afraid of them even as she talked about them. In any case, I'm so tired, must sleep._

_Write you tomorrow."_

He put the pen back, closed the book and took one last look at the sleeping Pokemon next to his head, before he finally let his eyes rest and sleep take over him.

(Arceus' PoV)

Arceu watched the night sky, looked at all the stars glistening high above him as he felt the words and feelings of Jacob's latest message. He thought about everything that he had mentioned and only closed his eyes to reflect on their meaning.

**(A Ralts huh… Jacob… I wonder... do you know just what kind of friend you made… befriending that Ralts?)** He asked himself, picturing his Jacob sleeping next to that little Pokemon. **(Perhaps not now… but in time you will Jacob… a true friend is one who shares a journey with you… alongside you… I honestly wish I could be there with you right now.)**

He turned to look down at the ground, staring at the picture of himself that he had taken of Zarak years ago. Crudely drawn as it was, he found that he really liked the picture, masterpiece or not. **(Well… at least you have Sara and Harold now… Perhaps they'll keep you safe.)** He said to himself as he sighed. **(It sure is quiet here… without you…)**


	6. Chapter 5

=Chapter 2, To the Forest of Eternal Twilight!=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*Arky, after I woke up yesterday with Sara, we broke camp and began making our way to Petalburg City. It turns out that I was agonizingly slow yesterday, mostly because I forgot which direction Petalburg was, and I forgot to check the map before we got on the road. Sara was a little confused about many things about me, such as why I carried a heavy backpack and so many things wherever I went. It took me some time but eventually I explained that because I was traveling and wouldn't stay in one place for too long, I needed to carry everything I and any Pokemon I was caring for would need to live out in the wilderness. This included food and other supplies.*_

_*After we got going again however, it became clear that my lack of directions was one skill you and I never worked on in our lessons. Still after a few questions to some passing by trainers, we got going in the right direction. A few trainer battles later and Harold had definitely become stronger. I can see now why many trainers, especially Karen, loved to battle their Pokemon. Whenever Harold was faced with the prospect of a trainer battle, he just seemed eager to take on whoever our opponents were. It also seemed like every trainer we met was eager for a battle, as there was never a shortage of trainers no matter how long we walked.*_

_*Many of our battles were a mix of victories and defeats, and while I didn't like seeing Harold get injured, he never held any of my mistakes against me. This only makes me want to learn more about Pokemon so I never let him get too hurt again, like what happened in my battle against Jessy.*_

_*In any case, there is a bit of good news that happened yesterday. Halfway to Petalburg City, a wild Poochyena came across me, Harold, and Sara. Sara was able to translate what the Poochyena was saying, and apparently he had been watching my battles that day. He challenged me and Harold to a battle, saying he wanted a strong trainer to be his pack leader, and would accept nothing less than the best. While I didn't enjoy or mind the prospect of being called a 'pack leader' all the time by him, he didn't give me much choice but to accept his challenge.*_

_*His and Harold's fight was a long ten minutes, since neither of them were willing to surrender until they were thoroughly exhausted. I managed to capture him in a Pokeball, and after setting up camp, treating his wounds as best I could, and treating them all to lunch I decided to name him Ivan. He seemed to like the name, and happily repaid me for capturing him and naming him by licking my face after we ate.*_

_*We're now in Petalburg City, just stocking up on supplies and having everyone checked up at the Pokecenter before we make our way toward the Petalburg Woods.*_

=The City of Blending Natures=

"Thank you very much Nurse Joy." Jacob said as she handed him two Pokeballs. "Also I'm sorry that Sara doesn't want to go into a Pokeball, she just doesn't feel very comfortable about them."

"Oh I completely understand, this isn't the first time I've met a Pokemon that decides to travel with a trainer and doesn't want to be officially captured." She said as Sara waddled toward him on the counter and jumped into his arms. "I must say it's a rare treat to see a Ralts come in here. It's not every day I get to see one, even if it's captured or wild, I just never get to see one nowadays."

"Why not?" Jacob asked curiously, according to his Pokedex Ralts was only ever known to be found near Petalburg City on Route 102.

"I don't know, I just never see any trainers nowadays that have them." She said with a disappointed smile. "Perhaps they just head back to Oldale Town to heal them, or maybe they just don't bother coming in here, but Ralts are quite a rarity now. They were hard to find before, but it almost seem like there aren't any around here. Perhaps it's just me, but that's just how it feels to me."

**(I… just… prefer… being… with… Jacob!)** Sara said to Jacob in his mind, only using her telepathy with him. **(You… felt… nicer… than… those… other… humans!)**

"She says she just prefers being with me instead of the other trainers she felt on the path." He said to Nurse Joy. "When I first met her she was alone and starving, but I think any of those other trainers would have taken care of her like I did."

"I wouldn't think so, she obviously trusts you a lot more than any other human." Nurse Joy said with a smile. "She wouldn't let me anywhere near her unless you were there; it took all my persuasion to finally give her a checkup. In any case, take good care of her and your other Pokemon; they are all in perfect health. Also, I should tell you that if you plan on having her battle for you, because she is still technically wild, the only way you can use her in a Gym battle is with her consent."

"Thank you Nurse Joy." Jacob said, putting Sara on his shoulder as he turned and left the Pokecenter, just as a pair of trainers entered it.

As he left the Pokecenter he looked around Petalburg City before heading in the direction of the Pokemart to get some more food for his pack. The city was larger than Littleroot and Oldale town had been, but it was still tiny in comparison to the larger cities that he had heard of. This was probably because the city was well known for having a lot of trees among the buildings, as though the town had been built with the trees in mind. He had found it very nice being able to walk around with familiar buildings around him, while at the same time he felt a sense of peace because of all the nature he was surrounded by.

**(I like… this… place… Jacob.)** Sara said to him as she looked around at the town. **(It feels… nice… here!)**

"Yea I know what you mean; it really is pretty nice here." Jacob said as he spotted the Pokemart's blue roof. "Well in any case let's get our supplies and get going."

He had wanted to check out the Petalburg Gym, but there was a notice at the front door of the gym stating that it was closed. An older notice below that one stated that the requirement to battle in that gym was a minimum of four gym badges. He had never heard of a gym that required you to have a certain number of badges before you could battle there, but apparently there were some things that Arky had not covered in his lessons.

Either that, or like Arky told him, there were some things he would have to learn on his own.

As they entered the Pokemart, Jacob looked around at the merchandise available. This Pokemart was similar to the one in Oldale town, but there was a wider selection in this store when it came to Pokemon medicine. Knowing that his supply of antidotes and potions was still moderately fresh and would remain so for at least two more weeks, he went over to the food and with Sara's help picked some food that the four of them would like.

**(Why… do they… have… so much… food here… Jacob?)** Sara asked him as she eyed the food along the shelves and in the refrigerators.

"This is where most trainers buy their food Sara, so that's why they have so much." Jacob answered as he carried the food under his arm to the counter.

**(Why… do you… buy… food here?) **Sara asked curiously. **(Don't they… know… you'd starve… if you… can't… buy it?)**

"Well I'm sure they do, but I'm afraid that in order to get anything you need to pay for it." Jacob said as he passed by a shelf which was featuring several Pokeballs for sale. "Huh, what's this?"

He paused by the shelf that had Pokeballs for sale, and according to the price tag next to the box, they were having a three for one sale. Yet next to the Pokeballs box there was an empty box in which the price tag for whatever was supposed to be inside it was crossed out five times, so that the current price was now one thousand nine hundred Pokedollars.

"If you're looking for any Great Balls I'm sorry to say we're out of stock." The store clerk said, noticing Jacob eyeing the box.

"Great Balls?" Jacob asked as he turned back to the clerk and handed over the food he wanted to buy. "What are Great Balls?"

"Oh you never heard of Great Balls?" The clerk asked as he rang up the items for Jacob. "Well while I wrap these up for ya, here's what one looks like. It's just a depowered sample of a Great Ball, so it's not for sale."

The store clerk pulled out a blue Pokeball that had red lines on top of its upper half. "This is a Great Ball?" Jacob asked as Sara looked at the ball with apprehension.

"Yes, you see Great Balls are more advanced Poke Balls that are more capable of capturing Pokemon." The clerk said. "Great Balls are really effective at capturing stronger Pokemon, which is why most trainers use them. Normally we have a large stock of these and they aren't normally purchased in such large quantities, but about one week ago people just started buying up every single Great Ball we had."

**(Why… so… many?)** Sara asked Jacob.

"The reason why trainers buy them is because they are more reliable for capturing any Pokemon then a regular Pokeball." The Clerk said after Jacob repeated Sara's question. "Normally trainers buy a few in case they come across that one Pokemon that's resilient. I've never run out of stock of them before in all my years working here, because each trainer at most buys maybe three, four at max. But, well look at that price tag and you'll understand my shock."

"Who has that kind of money?" Jacob asked. "I mean… they started at six hundred Pokedollars and now they're nineteen hundred? Is that why you raised the price so high?"

"Yea, I figured if I raised the price it would dissuade those people from buying them in such large quantities, but throughout the week, that box was always empty within a few hours of opening the store. I even raised the price to higher than an Ultra Ball, and I don't even have one to compare the price with. Yet still, whoever it was keeps buying them, buys them without fail. I tried lowering the price of the Pokeballs but, almost nobody buys them. Now I'm completely out of stock now thanks to that group, they stopped shopping here after I ran out. I don't mind the extra cash I made from the sales because it goes to my pocket, but still, lots of trainers want to buy those Great Balls. It's a little unsettling to tell trainers that I have no Great Balls for sale."

Jacob paid for his food, and to cheer up the shop clerk a little bit, bought three Pokeballs for the price of one. After that they left the store and began making their way to Route 104 and the Petalburg Woods.

**(I don't… like those… Great Balls.)** Sara said as she rode atop his shoulder.

"You really have a thing against Pokeballs don't you?" Jacob asked Sara, and he could sense the tiny traces of anger through her psychic connection with him.

**(Bad humans… captured… my parents… I don't… like… those spheres!)** She said to him, eyeing the balls he had purchased with her amber eyes.

"Not all humans are bad, and I know you don't like the Pokeballs but Harold and Ivan don't seem to mind them." He said, holding up Harold's Pokeball and showing her. "They feel right at home in them, plus the Pokeballs nowadays can actually mend minor wounds while holding the Pokemon safe and sound, and even help them keep track of time and location."

**(I know… all humans… are not… bad!)** She said, smiling as she hugged Jacob's neck. **(You were… nice to me… I'll always… remember that!)**

"Thanks heh." Jacob said as they walked through Petalburg City.

-Later that day!-

After a short rest from the Pokemart Jacob packed up the food he purchased and put the spare Pokeballs in one of the backpack's empty pockets. Then he pulled out the map of Hoenn and checked to make sure they were on the right track before they headed out of the city.

The route to the next town was called Route 104, and encompassed the entirety between Rustboro and Petalburg. Halfway between the two cities were the Petalburg Woods, an enormous stretch of woods that many trainers and travelers pass through every day to go between the two cities.

It was in Rustboro that Jacob could have his first Gym battle, but before that they would have to go through the forest. This was what he was explaining to them around their campfire later that day as he cooked their dinner before bed.

"So that's where we're going next team." Jacob said as the smell of his latest creation, Oran Berry soup with the Sanctuary's Fruit and canned tomatoes for seasoning and flavor. "The journey will take us about a week to travel through, if everything goes well that is. Once we're through the Petalburg Woods it's about two full days of walking before we reach Rustboro City. We have enough food to last three full weeks, so I doubt we'll starve if we do get lost, but just to be safe we need to get through as fast as possible."

All of his Pokemon, Harold, Ivan, and Sara nodded in understanding as he showed them the map and where the woods were.

"Now according to what I've heard, the path through Petalburg Woods is quite long, and it has a bunch of twists and turns where trainers tend to get lost. It's also hard to tell time there because the trees are so clumped together and their branches spread out so far that sunlight has a hard time getting through. It's called the Forest of Eternal Twilight, and it gets quite dark in there because of how little light gets through the treetops. We can still see in there, but there won't be much light once the sun starts to go down. So once we start going through the forest we all need to work together, so you won't be spending as much time inside your balls like you normally have been. Well at least two of you anyway."

Harold and Ivan both nodded, knowing that he was referring to them.

"Once we begin the journey through the Petalburg Woods, I'll be counting on you all to help us get through. To me all the trees will look alike, but I know to you they'll each seem different. Especially you Ivan, your sense of smell will be a big help. Harold you'll be able to find your way around any forest, so I'll be counting on you to help Ivan out where he can't figure out where we've been. Sara, I know you're still not strong with your psychic powers, but would you be able to sense if any wild Pokemon try to sneak up on us? I've heard that it's full of Pokemon that attack trainers every time they drop their guard for a second."

His Pokemon nodded in understanding. **"Treecko tree!" **Harold said with determination.

"**Arf!"** Ivan said with an excited bark.

**(I will… do my best.)** Sara said calmly.

"Alright then, well dinner is ready, so how about we eat before we head to bed!" Jacob said, taking four bowls out of his pack.

The food was separated into the four bowls and was soon in the bellies of Sara, Jacob, Harold, and Ivan. After they ate, Jacob decided he would turn in for an early night. Before he did however he wrote in the book Arky gave him, and told him of what happened, especially how crazy the price for a Great Ball was in Petalburg City.

"Hey guys, you want to get some sleep as well?" Jacob asked his Pokemon as they sat near the fire while Harold carefully tossed a few more sticks into it.

Harold shook his head, acting very energetic as he did so; Ivan gave an energetic bark as well. **(With your… permission Jacob… we want… to stay up… a little longer.)** Sara said to him.

"You don't need my permission guys, but if you two feel like going back in your balls whenever you're ready for bed." Jacob said, taking Harold's and Ivan's balls and putting them out for them. "Your Pokeballs are right there, just tap their little buttons and you'll be put back in."

=A Night of Memories and Talks=

(Sara's PoV)

Sara watched as her trainer curled up in his warm, mobile nest, and went to sleep, before she turned to stare at the fire that they were keeping active for a while longer.

"**So Harold, care for a rematch?" **Ivan said to Harold as the gecko put several sticks onto the fire.

"**Not now Ivan, can't you see Jacob's asleep!"** Harold said as he took his seat next to the hound. **"You want a rematch wait until morning and you can ask him."**

"**You're just worried I might beat you this time!"** Ivan declared proudly, puffing his chest and pointing his nose at the sky. **"Just you wait Harold, I'll be his best Pokemon guaranteed!"**

"**As if you pooch, don't forget I'm his starter and that means I'll be the one he depends on the most!"** Harold shot back.

"**Yea we'll see about that, just you wait!" **Ivan said. **"When we get to the woods and we start to get lost, I'll be the one who gets us out! And when he sees how awesome I was he'll make me his best right hand Pokemon!"**

"**Yea right, you'll probably get us lost in the first place!" **Harold said angrily. **"Don't forget what he said, we only have enough food for three weeks. It will take about over a week to get to the next town; we can't afford to be taking this like a joke!"**

Sara watched the two argue with each other, trying to prove who would be their trainer's 'best' Pokemon, and wondered why they were competing with each other. **"Why do you two want to prove whose better?" **Sara asked them. **"You know Jacob treats you both with equal importance. Why do you want to compete with each other?"**

They both looked at as if she were insane. **"Well maybe you don't want to prove to our Pack Leader but we do!"** Ivan grunted, turning to the fire. **"After all, you don't even have a ball."**

"**What's that supposed to mean!"** Sara asked.

"**You know what I mean; you're still a 'wild' Ralts."** Ivan grunted. **"Before I met Jacob I watched dozens and dozens of battles, and I saw how tough those Pokemon were. Each and every one of them was captured by their Pack Leaders, and I saw the pride in each of their eyes as they battled for their Pack Leaders. You don't even have that pride in your eyes, so what gives you the right to say we can't prove anything to him!"**

"**Just because I'm wild doesn't mean I don't consider him my trainer!"** Sara said nervously.

Ivan looked at her with a glare which made Sara even more nervous of the pooch. **"No but that means every other Pokemon he captures will never look at you the way he does!"** He barked. **"You know that we'll form our hierarchy eventually. Whoever he trains and earns his trust the most will be at the top and the others who don't will be at the bottom! I don't care whether I'm at the top or near the bottom, but I will prove my loyalty to him however I can. We are his pack and he's our Pack Leader, and I follow the leader, with loyalty and trust!"**

Sara backed away nervously, not realizing that Ivan was thinking so far ahead. **"I never… thought about it like that."**

Harold stepped between her and Ivan a second later. **"Look, we are all his Pokemon and you heard what he said; he's going to be depending on all of us to make it through those woods."** He said calmly. **"Now why don't we get to sleep, we have a long walk ahead of us and we need to be one hundred percent ready in case of a battle. Come on Ivan; let's head back into our balls!"**

"**Fine."** Ivan grunted as he walked over to his ball, tapped the button on it, and vanished into the ball in a flash of red light.

"**Sara, please put us on Jacob's belt before you go to sleep." **Harold said, tapping his own ball and vanishing just like Ivan did.

"**Yea… sure…"** She said to nobody, feeling her fear getting the better of her as she clumsily waddled over to the two spheres and picked up Harold's.

_***Why do they like these spheres?***_ She thought to herself as she took the ball and put it on the belt where Jacob kept them, watching as it just seemed to fasten itself without any kind of latch. _***Is it some kind of honor to them to be kept in those tiny spheres?***_

Sara didn't want to be captured like her mother and father were, forced to battle a hopeless fight and then taken without any trace. She barely remembered the fight, but what she did terrified her, she couldn't see anything because she was too busy hiding in fear. If this was what captured her parents, she didn't want anything to do with them. They were evil as far as she was concerned, and those who used them were almost just as bad.

At least… the bad ones who used them were to her.

After she placed Ivan's ball onto the belt she yawned and waddled over to Jacob's mobile nest. She used her small hands to pull the nest open and snuggled into her trainer's arms to sleep. No matter how long she remained with Jacob, she, Sara, would always remember him as the kind human that had saved her life and allowed her to join him. She looked into Jacob's sleeping eyes and used the pink horn on her head to sense his feelings as he dreamed.

_***He's having a… really sad dream.***_ She thought as she felt his sadness seep through his dream into her mind. _***Yet… he feels such happiness… having us.***_

She could feel that he was definitely having a sad dream, yet through the sadness she could sense an inner happiness that kept it at bay, and its source was her, Harold, and Ivan.

As well as another, but she couldn't figure out who it was.

She tried using her psychic powers to try and read his feelings again, particularly the ones directed at that unknown entity keeping his sadness at bay, and she learned that while she and her fellow Pokemon on Jacob's team were having a strong impact on him, this background being from his past was the true source of his happiness. She tried to find out more however she could feel only a few traces of Jacob's feelings because he wasn't thinking about that being, but she did find a few powerful ones that were visible to her.

_***Joy… hope… as well as… friendship… no there's more!***_ She thought as she tried to find out more, wanting to learn of her trainer's past. _***He sees them as… a father… yes as a father but… they aren't his father.***_

She tried to find out the identity of this mysterious figure that seemed to be a beacon of light in whatever sadness that was clouding his dreams. However the moment she tried, something seemed to block her. Whatever it was, it had created a very strong psychic barrier to keep her at bay.

She tried to touch the barrier, to understand its purpose for being there, but with her limited powers she couldn't even see the surface, let alone try to slip through or break it down. Then she felt something, something opened up in the barrier and grab her mind. She tried to get away, to break free, terrified for her safety, but its grip refused to let her go.

_**(I can't let you see… not yet anyway.)**_ A voice, full of power and faintly familiar said to her. _**(When he is ready to know the truth… I will reveal myself… until then… I am just… Arky.)**_

The voice entered her mind, accessed her thoughts and memories of her trying to enter her trainer's mind, and in one second, rewrote them.

The next morning, she didn't remember anything about the entity she had felt in her trainer's feelings.

(The Sanctuary, Arceus' PoV)

He left his student's mind, having changed the memories of the little Ralts that was only doing her best to understand her trainer. He knew that having a psychic type in Jacob's presence would be tricky, especially if they started attempting to go through his mind, yet he didn't expect Sara to be trying to do anything this soon. She had only been with Jacob for two days, she may have been a feeling type Pokemon, but still she was trying to pry into his mind way too soon.

_***She just felt his sadness and wanted to know why he was still happy despite that sadness, I can't blame her for thinking of Jacob.***_ He thought as he remembered rewriting Sara's memories. _***I had to actually repair the barrier I made just to keep psychic types from discovering me in the off chance that they poked around in his mind.***_

He looked down at the picture of himself again, having not really moved ever since Jacob left. **(I guess four years of being linked to you has affected my better judgment. If I had been more diligent with my own awareness, and had I actually made sure all of my barriers were in place, I wouldn't have had to rewrite that poor Ralts' memories.)**

He looked back into the night sky, and thought about his student. **(Sorry Sara… but I'm not ready to reveal my true identity to Jacob, someday I will, but for now… he doesn't need to know me as anything else but what he knows me as. I am Arky… his teacher, and adopted father, nothing more.)**


	7. Chapter 6

=Chapter 3, The Great Mystery!=

(?'s PoV)

**{Need to run!} **She said as she limped through the woods as fast as she could. **{Need to run, have to get away; they'll do worse if I don't!}**

She limped as quickly as she could, her injured paws and legs unable to do anything more for her as she limped through the night of the forest, the only sanctuary that she had found in the recent months. She looked behind her to try and see if her pursuers were still after, and sure enough, in the distance she could see small beams of light shining through the trees, still searching near where she had vanished from sight.

This only encouraged her to keep moving, trying her best to not leave a trail, and grateful that the trainers, whom she had previously watched, traveling this path had left so many to disguise her own movements. She was so tired of running, so injured from fighting, that she could have collapsed at any moment, yet fear of her pursuers and the injuries they put her through from constant battling and chasing her drove her onward.

She was tired from the running, her breath came to her in short, desperate, and painful gasps each time she took one step. Along with each step and each breath, came the bursts of pain from her legs, her shoulders, everywhere that could be in pan was screaming at her in protest, demanding that she sit down and rest. Yet her mind overpowered her muscles' protests and drove her forward, desperate to find safety anywhere she could. This wasn't the worst of her troubles either; she was starving as well, unable to find ANY peace to even eat a few berries without risking being spotted by these humans had drained her of all her stamina.

So far she had avoided the humans as best she could, but they were persistent, even more persistent than normal trainers she had heard of being. She had never met a more persistent human in her life, they just did not leave her alone, and she wasn't losing them like she had left the normal trainers she had met before. This was abnormal for her, only the stories from her mother talking about the adventures of her own mother could compare to this situation.

Her mother's mother had told her daughter of a trainer, a great trainer that had been determined to capture her, yet she had escaped their grasp with each attempt, until finally she had been captured after ages of being chased by that one trainer! Now it was happening to her, but this was different, it wasn't one trainer determined to capture her, more for pride's sake then the value of the Pokemon they were capturing. It was a huge group of humans, trainers or not, and they had been chasing her for nearly ten months.

As she limped through the woods she passed by massive clearings that she could see had been carved into small sections of the forest. There were dozens of these scattered throughout the forest that she had seen, each one full to the brim with trainers and travelers camping out for the night. None of them noticed her as she did her best to hide from sight, yet still the humans hunting her searched through the forest, looking this way and that way, flashing their lights in every direction.

**{Humans… all of them… around me!}** She whispered as she smelled a new human scent close by, and with all the pain she could endure, jumped into a nearby stretch of tall grass to hide.

The jump got her off the path and hid her well from a group of three humans, trainers by the looks, all of whom were wearily heading down the path toward one of the clearings. However that jump had only added more injuries to the ones she was already suffering, she could feel each of her legs all but collapse from the pain and injury they were suffering. Yet still she shakily stood up and demanded yet more from her exhausted body.

**{I can't stay here… they'll capture me… I cannot let them capture me… not trainers like them!}**

She watched the group that had passed her by enter the clearing, before she started moving again down the path. There were too many paths for the humans hunting her to follow along, so they couldn't know which direction she was taking. Yet this would not shake them for long, she couldn't hide in this forest forever, and eventually they'll find her or corner her. If she left then the chase would resume yet again, and in her condition she wouldn't last another battle.

**{Battles… my mother's mother told me about them… she said they were things of pride and beauty… she said she was happy to have been captured… that there was no shame when it happened.}** She whispered as she tried to answer, once again, why they were hunting her, and indeed they were hunting her.

Yet try as she might, she couldn't find out why these humans, so many of them, were after just her. Was it purely for her value, or was there another reason? It couldn't have been just that, because so many trainers were tracking her for long distances, beyond what a normal trainer would have gone. Plus there were too many to be after just her, they were trying too hard to work together to capture her.

As she thought that her exhaustion finally caught up with her, and her injuries demanded that she rest. Unable to continue or find the energy to even eat, she wandered into the nearest patch of tall grass, and curled up in a large set of bushes. She couldn't take anymore, it was all too much for her, the lack of rest, the lack of food, the injuries her legs and body had taken, the strain of walking, running and battling for months on end had finally gotten the best of her.

**{Just… one… nap… and I'll keep going…}** She whispered to herself as her eyelids shut tight and sleep forced itself upon her instantly.

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*Hey Arky, it's been about a day since we left Petalburg City, and just as the sun was going down me, Harold, Sara, and Ivan reached the entrance Petalburg Woods, our first great trial as a team.*_

_*I don't have much time since Sara is about to wake up for breakfast, but I figured I'd tell you that we're about to enter the forest. I can only see maybe a stone's throw into the forest, and what I can see is nothing short of beautiful. Yet at the same time I'm fairly afraid, I've never been in a forest this deep, and according to what trainers have told me, this hostile.*_

_*Pokemon are said to attack travelers going through it almost every chance they get, I've put Sara and the other two on alert, but I still have some fear going in there. I probably won't be writing much to you in the next few days because I'll be so focused on going through these woods, so hopefully the next time I write will be me leaving the woods.*_

=The Eternal Twilight Forest=

(Jacob's PoV)

"Well guys, there's the entrance to the Petalburg woods." Jacob said to his team as they prepared to enter the forest. "From here on out it's about a week before we'll get through, and that's assuming we don't get lost. I know my way around a map, but the Hoenn Map I have doesn't have anything about the Petalburg Woods. Remember, we each need to work together to get through this forest!"

"**Arf!" **Ivan barked.

"**Tree!"** Harold said.

**(Yes…)** Sara said in his mind.

The entrance to the forest was about ten feet wide, and the path that they were traveling on went into the forest itself for about twelve feet before it began to disappear because of the forest's vegetation. But still that didn't mean that the beautiful display of sunrays shining through the forest's treetops wasn't worth the journey.

"Well team, let's get going, stay close Harold and Ivan." Jacob said as they started walking forward.

"**Arf!"**

They began entering the Petalburg woods, and five minutes into their first adventure, they found the scenery to be nothing short of beautiful.

**(Beautiful…)** Sara whispered to Jacob as they looked around while walking.

"**Aaaaarf…"** Ivan barked as he looked around in amazement.

"**Treeeee…"** Harold said as well.

"You all can say that again!" Jacob said as he looked around them.

The scenery was amazing, brilliant beams of sunlight shone through the top of the trees above them through the small gaps in the trees, creating an unearthly scene before them. Meanwhile just to complement the scene were the wonderful trees around them, there were beautiful shrubs every few feet, and wild tall grass sprouted everywhere, making it difficult to go anywhere that looked like it had been traveled with regularity.

Now that they were inside and had a good view of their surroundings, Jacob could see what the trainers he spoke to before were talking about. There were at least a dozen paths, or at least they looked like paths, however they were really just wider corridors between the trees. Along the paths were trees of different sizes, ranging from the tall trees that were blocking out much of the sunlight, to their smaller berry bearing cousins. There were dozens of parted grass openings where previous trainers had walked through, but they each went in different directions.

"No wonder trainers get lost here, how can you find anything in this forest?" Jacob asked as he looked around. "Man… how do we find our way through?"

**(Jacob… we won't… get lost… will we?)** Sara asked nervously from his shoulder.

"No way Sara, not as long as we work together, if we do then I know we'll make it through this forest." Jacob said confidently, looking to Ivan and Harold now. "Okay, Ivan try your best to remember where we're going, and Harold see if you can tell which of these paths has been used the most! Whichever one has been traveled heavily is most likely the one that leads through to the other side of the forest and back onto Route 104."

**(Arf!)** Ivan said.

**(Tree!)** Harold declared, running off to the first path directly ahead of them and examining the floor carefully.

**(What should… I do?)** Sara asked curiously.

"You help watch our backs Sara, while the three of us are busy you help keep an eye out for wild Pokemon, in the meantime I'm going to check out some of these berry trees and see if any of them are ripe for picking as well as what type they are." Jacob said as he picked up Sara to place on the ground. "Be careful okay Sara, this place is supposed to be full of bug type Pokemon as well as Tailow, so keep an eye out wherever you can. I also want you to be careful because I don't want you getting hurt watching out for us."

**(Okay!)** Sara said to him.

As Jacob walked over to the first berry tree he noticed that the berries were not ripe, they were Oran berries but they would take at least another four hours before maturing. He noticed that there were a lot of Oran trees around the paths, all of them having been picked by either Pokemon or passing by trainers. This meant that food would be hard to come by unless they were on top of time here in the forest. Among the Oran trees were a few Pecha trees and even some Cheri trees, but those two tree types were rare among their more common Oran brothers.

"**Treecko!"** Harold declared after a good hour of checking out the paths and examining the fauna.

"What did you find Harold?" Jacob asked as he headed over to where Harold was. "You're saying this is the path we should take?"

"**Tree!"** Harold said, giving a confident nod.

"Alright then, let's get going." Jacob said, picking up Sara and placing her on his shoulder again. "Remember Sara to watch our backs while we travel through, but everyone of us should stay alert, I've heard this place is full of wild Pokemon that are more than eager to attack travelers and trainers wandering through."

**(Alright.)** Sara said to him as they started walking.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked behind Jacob.

"**Treecko!" **Harold said.

For a few minutes they walked, before Jacob's foot kicked something hard on the ground. He looked down seeing something clearly manmade sitting on the ground, covered in grass and leaves and other bits of foliage. Bending down and picking it up, he found that his foot had kicked a small potion bottle.

By the looks of it, it was still fresh and perfectly useable, despite being left on the ground for several days. The only question he really had was what it was doing in the woods on the ground.

"Hey there!" A voice called out.

Jacob looked up to see what appeared to be a trainer, about ten years older than him walking down the path toward him. He was wearing what appeared to be some kind of ranger getup, and in his company was a Pokemon, a Wurmple by the looks of it.

"Hello there, is this potion yours?" Jacob asked, holding it up to show him.

"If it was mine it's yours now." He said. "I'm a Pokemon Ranger, I'm just patrolling these woods to make sure nobody is lost and in case anyone needs medical help."

"Okay but, why would this potion be mine now if it was originally yours?" Jacob asked curiously.

"You must be a new trainer if you don't know why that is." The ranger said with a smile. "You see, it's been commonly known that the Petalburg Woods in Hoenn, the Viridian Forest in Kanto, and other such dense forests in different regions are where trainers lost and find items in them. It's an unspoken rule and agreement between all trainers that if you drop an item in the forest, it becomes anyone's and everybody's."

"Really?" Jacob asked. "So nobody will complain if I find any item here and decide to keep it?"

"Pretty much, of course the same goes for them if they find anything of yours here, finders keepers as they say." The ranger said as the Wurmple next to him climbing up his leg out of boredom. "The reason why so many items get lost here is because of the wild Pokemon at night, they sometimes sneak into trainer's packs to steal food and sometimes steal other things by mistake. Also some trainers just forget about certain items and tend to drop them without realizing it. So here's a word of warning, keep an eye out for your stuff at night, unless you want a Wurmple or another wild Pokemon to go through it for food."

As he spoke the Wurmple climbed up his leg, and up to the top of his head. "Uh… is that your Wurmple?" Jacob asked, suppressing the urge to laugh.

"Oh this little guy, no he's not mine!" The Ranger said. "This little guy and I have been working together for a few months, I give him food and he shows me the way through the forest. You can say he's a guide for the guide. Best way to get through the Petalburg Woods is with an insect Pokemon, they know the terrain best from down below."

"**Wurmple Wurm!"** The Wurmple said to Jacob and his team.

**(He's asking… if we… have food.)** Sara said.

"Yea we do Wurmple, enough to last three weeks." Jacob said with a smile.

"**Wurmple Wurm, Wurm Wurmple Wurm!"** The Wurmple said, smiling as it did a little dance on the ranger's head.

"**Grrrrr, Arf!"** Ivan growled.

"**Treecko!"** Harold declared.

"Is something wrong you guys?" Jacob asked his team, noticing them snapping at the Wurmple.

**(He says… if we have… that much food… we'll lose it… faster than a… Snorlax can eat.)** Sara said to him.

"Well in any case, I wish you guys luck in your travel through the forest, I'm off to Petalburg City to rest up and restock on supplies before I go back through the woods for my shift." The Ranger said, giving Jacob and his team one final grin before leaving in the direction they had come from.

"Well team let's keep going." Jacob said, getting them all back on track. "We've used up most of our morning just entering the forest, let's get going."

"**Arf!"** Ivan declared.

"**Tree!"** Harold piped up.

They began walking through the forest again; stopping to make sure they were on the right track every so often. The Ranger did not lie about items being littered around the ground throughout the forest, every time they turned a corner or paused to check their surroundings they found another item just lying around. However unlike their first find, they didn't find anything else as valuable or useful.

"Another empty bag of chips, this makes six bags plus fourteen cans of food, and five small empty bottles of soda." Jacob whispered as he picked up yet another piece of trash and placed it in his bag. "Arky… I'm not sure teaching me to not leave garbage lying on the ground, was a good idea."

**(Why are… we taking… trash with us?)** Sara asked as Ivan and Harold watched him put the latest piece of trash into the bag.

"I was always taught to keep things clean wherever I go Sara." Jacob said as he lifted his bag back onto his back. "So naturally I want to keep the forest clean and keep all the garbage out as much as I can. I can get rid of it later when we reach the next city. It's not the smartest thing I've ever done team, but it's something I just have to do. A wild Pokemon might accidentally eat an entire bag of chips, bag and all, and it might get sick and injured because of it."

**(I see.)** Sara whispered.

Once he was finished he continued walking, albeit with a more curious Ralts on his shoulder.

=Kora and Roran=

A few hours of walking had gotten them not too far into the woods, but they had definitely made progress toward Rustboro City. That was however, until Ivan decided to prove how tough he was by picking a fight with a roaming Tailow. The Tailow had been following them for a few minutes, and was spotted by Sara almost instantly. This made Ivan jealous and, wanting to prove he was strong, picked a fight with the Tailow.

This was why Jacob was now giving instructions to Ivan about fighting a flying type.

"Ivan use Leer!" Jacob shouted.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked, and a second later his eyes glowed red.

"**Tailooow!"** The Tailow shouted, not intimidated by the leer as it boldly charged Ivan from the sky with its Peck attack.

"Watch out Ivan!" Jacob tried to call out, but the Tailow was too fast, and just as Ivan tried to dodge he was met with the Peck attack. "Ivan are you okay?"

"**Arrrrrf… Arf…" **Ivan growled as he slowly stood up to face the Tailow again, which was spinning around to attack again with its beak.

"**Tailow!"** The Tailow shouted, as it surprised Jacob and Ivan by landing in front of them. **"Tailoooooooooow."**

Ivan stood his ground for a moment before the Tailow's growl actually caused Ivan's courage to waiver slightly, making him take a step back. Then it took to the air and came in for another Peck attack.

"Ivan try to counter with your Tackle!"

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked as he charged head first at the incoming Tailow.

They're attacks connected at the same time and Ivan's tackled knocked the Tailow out of the air and sent it tumbling toward the ground. Ivan quickly recovered and turned to face the Tailow again as it slowly stood back up. The Tailow glared at Ivan before it charged once more, trying to peck him again.

"Ivan, one more time Tackle!" Jacob shouted.

**(Jacob… are you going… to catch it?)** Sara asked him.

"Depends, can you tell if it's going to keep following us?" Jacob asked as he tried to divert his attention between the Tailow and Ivan and talking to Sara.

**(Yes… he will keep… following us.)** Sara said nervously as Ivan and the Tailow started rolling around, Ivan trying to kick the Tailow off and the Tailow trying to peck Ivan's face. **(He won't… let us be.)**

"Yea I know, Tailow never give up on a fight." Jacob said just as Ivan finally pushed the Tailow off of him. "Alright then, Pokeball go!"

He took an empty Pokeball from his belt and tossed it at the Tailow. The ball hit the Tailow, opened up and pulled the bird inside with a flash of light. It fell to the ground and started shaking for several minutes. Finally it stopped shaking and gave a resounding *Ping*, indicating that the capture was successful.

Jacob was now the proud trainer of a Tailow.

"Okay… I think we all deserve a short rest and a meal after that!" Jacob said to his team, to which Ivan barked tiredly in agreement.

It took them a good fifteen minutes of walking before they found a small clearing in the dense trees along their path. Then while Harold gathered sticks to start a fire, Jacob took the new Tailow's Pokeball and released it.

"**Tailow!"** The bird declared tiredly as it was released.

"Hey there little Tailow, I'm sorry about Ivan wanting to pick a fight with you." Jacob said as he scratched Ivan's ears, causing him to growl contently. "He just wanted to prove how strong he was, I don't know why but that's just how he is."

"**Tailow!"** The Tailow replied in understanding.

**(He says… it's okay… he likes to… challenge strong… opponents.)** Sara translated.

"Well in any case since I captured you I need to name you, that is if you want a name." Jacob said.

"**Tailow."**

**(He says yes… he would like… a name.)**

"Alright let me think…" Jacob said as he tried to come up with a good name for a male Tailow. "How do you feel about the name Roran?"

"**Tailow Tail!"** The Tailow chirped happily.

**(He says… he likes it.) **Sara translated cheerfully.

"**Treecko!"** Harold called to them, indicating that he had found enough sticks to start a fire.

"Alright let's get lunch started quickly." Jacob said as he went to his bag and pulled out one of the canned meals for them to eat. "We don't have a lot of time to prepare an elaborate meal, so today it's just canned food. Now let me just open this up and we can start cooking."

He had to move some of his stuff around to make room for the trash he was picking up to toss in Rustboro. So the spare Pokeballs he had were currently lying on the ground behind the backpack until after lunch. He was confident that with Sara keeping a lookout for dangerous Pokemon with her psychic powers, Ivan's nose, and now Roran's looking around constantly, that no wild Pokemon would sneak up on them. However because they were all hungry and tired from trudging through the woods and now battling Roran, they weren't all focused on looking for wild Pokemon.

While Jacob went to work cooking the food over the small fire they had lit, all of his Pokemon were watching with interest as he explained how the food was cooked. He showed them that he had learned to cook over a fire if he was in the woods, and even taught them how he knew the fire was ready to cook. Since he was busy explaining to his hungry team, none of his Pokemon noticed the shadowy figure creeping up behind them, inching ever closer to the backpack which Jacob had left open.

At least not until the shadowy figure started rattling the spare cooking tools in the bag.

"What the…" Jacob whispered as he looked up to see a pink Wurmple digging around in his bag. "Hey what are you doing in there?"

The Wurmple stopped digging and pulled its head out of the bag. **"Wurm…"** It said quietly, with Oran berry juice smeared across its face.

At once all of his Pokemon, with the exception of Sara, shouted angrily at the Wurmple. **"Wu-ur-ur-ur-mple!"** It sputtered, trying to back away from them and falling behind the backpack and out of sight.

Then a flash of light appeared, followed by a resounding *Ping*.

"**Tree?"** Harold said, looking at Jacob in confusion.

"Uh… I'm guessing I just captured a Wurmple?" He asked.

He stood up and walked over to the backpack to see the three spare Pokeballs he had. He took two of them and opened them up to see they were empty, and then the third one he picked up and opened released his new Wurmple in a flash of red light.

"**Wurmple!"** It called out, before looking around at him with curious eyes.

"You didn't even try to resist getting caught did you?" Jacob asked it.

"**Wurm!"** It chirped out happily.

"Uh, Sara?" He asked.

**(She says… no.)** Sara said.

"How do you know what gender a Pokemon is just by hearing it talk?" Jacob asked Sara.

**(It's just… how I can tell…)** She said sheepishly. **(Even I don't… know how it… works.)**

"Well in any case… why did you not try to resist being captured?" He asked the Wurmple this time.

"**Wurmple Wurm Wurmple!"** It replied.

**(She says… you have food… lots of food.)** Sara relayed.

"Alright… well let's see what my Pokedex has to say about you." Jacob said, taking his Pokedex out and having it look up the Wurmple.

_[Wurmple, the Worm Pokemon__, __It sticks to tree branches and eats leaves. The thread it spits from its mouth, which becomes gooey when it touches air, slows the movement of its foes.]_ It declared.

"Wurmple huh, if I'm correct you eat quite a bit of food." Jacob said, looking down at his Wurmple. "Well since I 'captured' you, I guess you will need a new name. So how do you feel about the name Kora?"

"**Wuuuuurm!"** She said happily.

"Geez… if we keep adding new team members at this rate the food I have won't even last us a week." Jacob said as Kora started climbing up his leg. "Well in any case, let's have lunch and resume walking… and no snacking on the food in my backpack. We need to make it last until we reach Rustboro."

"**Wurmple Wurm?"** Kora asked him.

**(She asked… if we're going… to Rustboro.)** Sara said as Jacob picked up his backpack and put the Pokeballs back into it.

"Yea, why do you know the way?" Jacob asked Kora.

"**Wurm!"** She said happily.

**(She says yes… she does know.)**

"**Wurmple Wurm Wurm Wurmple!"**

**(She also says… she'll lead us… as fast as… she can… if you feed her… first.)**

"Ugh… I should've known…" Jacob said as Kora smiled at him from behind his back. "Forget what I said about adding new teammates, if I get another Wurmple we won't have enough food to last us half a week."

*Six Hours Later*

"How much daylight do we have Roran?" Jacob asked as Roran flew back down to him and the rest of his team.

"**Tail… Tailow."** Roran replied sadly.

**(He says… we have… no more time.)** Sara said nervously on his shoulder. **(Jacob… where are we… sleeping tonight?)**

"I don't know, we can't go back to that campsite because that will take us about two hours." He said as he looked ahead and kept walking. "We definitely can't sleep on the path, even if we haven't seen another wild Pokemon for a while."

Despite the fact that he was worried about going to sleep in the Petalburg Woods with no protection besides his Pokemon, he wasn't as worried now that they had Roran and Kora to help. However earlier on Kora told him something that had gotten him worried as well as sparking his curiosity.

-Earlier-

"What do you mean there aren't as many wild Pokemon as there used to be in these woods?" Jacob asked.

"**Wurmple Wurm… Wurmple."** Kora said nervously after they finished eating dinner. **"Wurmple Wurm Wurm Wurm Wurmple Wuuuurm…"**

**(She said… she doesn't know… but over… the last few… seasons… there have been… fewer and fewer… wild Pokemon here.)** Sara translated.

"Are they leaving or something?" Jacob asked.

"**Wuuurm…"** Kora said sadly. **"Wurmple Wurm… Wurm Wurmple."**

**(She says… she doesn't know… but she says… that lots of… trainers have been… capturing Pokemon here… more than usual.)**

"Did you see them doing it?" Jacob asked now, wondering why trainers are capturing so many Pokemon.

"**Wurm…"** Kora replied, shaking her head sadly. **"Wurmple Wurm Wurmple Wurm… Wurmple Wurm…"**

**(She says she… doesn't know… she never sees… trainers capturing… but she's noticed… fewer and fewer… Pokemon here… even her… nest sisters and… brothers are gone.)**

"How do you know its trainers capturing them?" Jacob asked. "I mean sure trainers capture Pokemon, but we never capture to this extent!"

"**Wurmple Wurm?"** Kora replied. **"Wurmple Wurm Wurmple?"**

**(Who else… but trainers would… capture us?)** Sara said quietly. **(We're just weak… little Wurmples… and Tailows… and Shroomish… who else but… trainers would… capture us?)**

-Present Time-

"Why would trainers want to capture so many Pokemon, if they deplete the woods of all the Pokemon won't that hurt the balance of the forest?" Jacob asked himself.

**(Jacob… will someone… try and capture… me?)** Sara asked nervously again.

"What's wrong Sara?"

**(Because… I'm still… wild… and I don't… want to leave… you!)** Sara said nervously, hugging his neck tightly as the mere thought of leaving him frightened her.

"Don't worry Sara; I'll make sure nobody tries to steal you." Jacob said calmly. "Besides if anyone does try anything, we have Harold and Ivan to keep us safe, right guys?"

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked tiredly but confidently.

"**Treecko!"** Harold repeated.

They continued to walk until finally they found a small open path running along the one they were on. It looked like it had just been made recently, as the path in the grass was still freshly pressed.

"Alright guys, let's turn down this path, we'll make camp here." Jacob called to everyone, turning left and walking down the side path. "We'll sleep here and continue in the morning."

"**Wurm!" **Kora squealed.

"**Tree…"** Harold sighed.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked.

"**Tailow…"** Roran chirped.

**(Goody…)** Sara said tiredly.

Jacob walked through the small path with his Pokemon behind him, already imagining how well he and his team were going to sleep.

At least he imagined that until he broke through the grass and entered into the small clearing and saw a Pokemon lying in a clump of bushes.

"What the…" Jacob stared, wide eyed at the beautiful Pokemon lying there in the bushes, covered head to foot in bruises, scratched, and other injuries.


	8. Intermission 2

**Greetings my readers, I hope you are enjoying my fic so far, now that the story has gotten further along, I would like to thank you for the reviews you've given me.**

**Also I would like to ask you all a few questions… first of all… can you guess as to the Pokemon I just introduced? **

**I left a few clues but… eh I'll see if you can figure it out before I reveal her identity.**

**Next thing… reviews… come on show me some more reviews please? If I know more people like it then I'll write a little faster, even if schoolwork is making me go slow.**

**One last thing before I go back to my thingies… can any of you guess what's happening now? Eh, eh, come on… I left a few clues.**

**Well, see ya next time Pokemon Fans… Jacob's journey, just got interesting!**

**Also… Wurmple!**


	9. Chapter 7

=Chapter 4, To Help, A Legendary!=

(Jacob's PoV)

Jacob could not believe his eyes, there was no way it could possibly be what his eyes were seeing. The moment he laid eyes on that blue fur with white diamond spot pattern, that purple flowing mane that was said to resemble the aura borealis, with two white streamer-like tails that seemed to wave toward its front, and that hexagonal cerulean blue colored crest atop its forehead, removed all traces of weariness from his eyes. It could not possibly be what he had only ever heard about on the Pokenet. It could not possibly be a legendary Pokemon, here in the Petalburg Woods, where trainers and travelers pass through each and every day in droves.

Someone would have reported seeing it, someone would have been spreading wild ridiculous rumors, people would have been gossiping about it way before he even entered this forest. Someone, anyone would have been talking about seeing a legendary Pokemon, attempted to have captured it, something long before he even stepped NEAR these woods. There was absolutely, no way, not in a hundred years, would he have imagined seeing what his eyes were showing him right now!

Yet there was no doubt in his mind that he was seeing a legendary Pokemon right before his eyes.

"No way… it can't be…" Jacob whispered, quietly pulling his Pokedex out as Sara, Harold, Ivan, Roran, and Kora all stared at the Pokemon before them in awe as well.

He flipped it opened and had it scan the Pokemon, wanting to be one hundred percent sure it was what he thought it was.

_[Suicune, the Aurora Pokemon, __Suicune embodies the compassion of a pure spring of water. It runs across the land with gliding elegance. It is said to have the power to purify dirty water.]_

"It is… a Suicune… here in Hoenn…" Jacob whispered as he watched the Pokemon sleeping, covered in bruises, cuts, and looking slightly thin. "What's it doing here… aren't Suicune native to Johto? And why is it so badly injured?"

**(Jacob… that Suicune… is in… so much pain… right now…)** Sara whispered to him from his shoulder. **(It's in… so much… pain!)**

"You can tell just from feeling its dreams?" He asked Sara.

**(No… but those wounds… they must… be hurting it… so much!)** She said as she shook her head at him. **(If any of… us had… those wounds… we'd be… screaming in agony!)**

"Well… what do we do?" Jacob asked his team as they all just watched the Suicune sleeping soundly in a clump of bushes. "It doesn't exactly look like it's able to run like the Pokedex says and it looks like it's really hurt!"

"**Tail…"** Roran said just as confused.

"**Tree…"** Harold said in agreement.

"**Hnnnng…"** Ivan moaned quietly.

"**Wuuuurmple…" **Kora said as she wandered up to the Suicune.

"No Kora don't!" Jacob whispered, trying to stop the Wurmple from waking the sleeping legendary.

Unfortunately his loud whisper and rush to stop Kora from doing so, just so happened to be what woke the Suicune up. Its eyes opened suddenly, and it turned its head and opened its mouth so fast that Jacob and his team barely had any warning to dodge its first attack.

It let loose with a powerful gush of water, so powerful that everything in front of the Suicune was blasted back, including Jacob's hat that was left hanging in the air because of how fast he moved to avoid the attack. Yet just as quickly as the attack occurred, it ended as it started coughing and gasping for breath.

Jacob watched with Sara and Kora beside him on the ground as the Suicune wearily stood up to its full five feet height, before collapsing back to the ground as it tried to take a single step.

It gasped desperately, eyeing Jacob with a glaring eye that was full of fear and anger. Each breath it seemed to take looked painful to Jacob, but still it stared at him defiantly.

**(Jacob… what… do we… do?)** Sara asked him nervously.

"I'm wondering the same thing Sara…" Jacob whispered, not daring to stand up and risk getting hit by another attack that powerful.

After the attack passed Ivan, Harold, and Roran stood in front of Jacob, faces determined and each assuming a battle stance to protect him and the two female Pokemon. Jacob knew that his Pokemon, despite their small size and lack of true strength when compared to the Legendary's, would fight to the end to protect him from it. So for a good ten minutes Jacob and his team watched the Suicune nervously, wondering if it would attack again, and the Suicune, taking painful breaths each and every second, watched him nervously. Even as it watched him, Jacob could see the bags under the legendary Pokemon's eyes, and could see the red coloration in them.

_*The poor thing hasn't slept properly for days if those bags are anything to go by.*_ He thought to himself as he looked at the wounds next. _*And those bruises, those aren't normal… they look like they've been building up again and again for weeks at a time. Those cuts too, and the way it's breathing, a clear sign of exhaustion, as if it hasn't been able to rest properly as long as it hasn't been able to sleep properly. That attack as well, that was a Hydro Pump, Arky showed me one during our lessons. That should have been three times stronger and lasted longer; it must be out of stamina to fight for that attack to be so weak. And the way it tried to run, its legs must be badly injured if it couldn't even stand up properly.*_

Jacob looked back at the Suicune's eyes and once again, saw that sense of fear as well as anger in them. It was angry at being cornered by him, angry that it did not have the strength it once had to fight him or run away from him. It was also afraid of him, afraid of what Jacob might do to it, whether it be capturing it or hurt it it did not know. It was at his mercy, and that was what the fear in its eyes was telling him.

"Guys… stay here for a second… and don't look provocative." He whispered as he slowly took his backpack off and stood up.

The Suicune tensed up the moment he started to stand, as if preparing to use what little strength it had left to fight to the bitter end. It watched him slowly walk ever closer, step by step, as if waiting for him to do anything to provoke it into attacking him.

Meanwhile Jacob was slowly advancing toward the Suicune with his hands raised and opened up to show he was unarmed and didn't mean any harm. "It's okay… I'm not ganna hurt you…" He said quietly to it, even as it looked at him with determined eyes. "My name is Jacob… Jacob Beryl… I'm a Pokemon Trainer from Littleroot and I just want to make sure you're okay…"

It eyed him still as he got closer, but didn't attack him outright, or probably it lacked the strength to actually attack him. Either way it gave Jacob the chance to get closer to the legendary.

Step by step he drew closer to the Pokemon, and step by step it grew more and more nervous. When he was right in front of it, Jacob was careful to kneel down and made himself appear smaller, just so it would not attack him again.

With one careful and slow moving hand, he touched one of the Suicune's paws. Instantly it flinched at his touch, and moaned in pain quietly, it's breathing growing rapid the moment he did.

"I'm not trying to hurt you… I'm just trying to see what's wrong with you." Jacob said gently as he touched its cool, fluid-like fur, and felt its heart racing. "I won't capture you, I promise, I just want to see if I can help you."

This time the Suicune stared at him at the mention of the word 'capture', as though suspicious that he was lying. It stared at him as its breathing slowly calmed down to a more normal state, but still tense and ready to fight.

"Okay from what I can tell… you have a few sprained limbs, several cuts and bruises across your body, and you are suffering from malnutrition." He whispered more to himself than to the Suicune. "A lot of these bruises and cuts are quite severe, and almost all of them are quite old with a few fresh over the last few weeks. This is going to be hard to heal unless we have Hyper Potions, which unfortunately are both out of my reach and price range."

If he was to help heal this Suicune, he would need to use all of his potions to get the healing process a jumpstart. Then he would need to feed it regular doses of Oran Berry Juice to give its body the nutrition it needed to heal naturally. Even after everything was considered, it would take at last a good four, maybe five days of constant care before the Suicune would be fully healed. Even with Hyper Potions, the Pokemon would need sleep and food before the potion could do anything.

All Hyper Potions did was heal the wounds and speed up and stabilize the natural healing of the Pokemon's muscles. His normal Potions that Arky had given him were only meant for minor bruises and maybe a few cuts, combined his potions might do the work of a couple Super Potions, but for the real heavy work to repair the damage to the Pokemon's body and muscles he would need Oran Berries, and lots of them.

If he had maybe a few Sitrus Berries, they might help heal it better, but since there weren't any to be found, he would have to rely on Oran Berries to help the Suicune heal.

He nodded confidently at his decision, knowing that he would have to stay here with the Suicune in order to help it. It would definitely set him and his team back from leaving the Petalburg Woods, but this was something he could not just ignore. A legendary Pokemon was in need of help, and he was the closest and maybe best chance it had.

Standing up carefully and making his way over to his team of Pokemon, he sat back down and told them the plan.

"So guys, we need to help out this legendary." He said to them, pulling out a small empty bag from his backpack. "First things first, we need to prepare some food for this Suicune. Harold, you and Ivan start gathering sticks and anything else we can burn here for a small fire. Roran, you and Kora start looking around nearby for some Oran Berry trees, there should be some nearby. Check them and bring back any berries you find that are ripe in this bag, and no eating the berries Kora. Meanwhile Sara, you help me with treating some of these wounds on Suicune okay, and also try to talk to it, see if you can get it to trust me a little bit. Suicune are known to be roamers by nature, and very wary of humans, especially trainers."

"**Tree!"** Harold said, and he and Ivan both left to start gathering sticks.

"**Tailow!"** Roran said, taking the bag in its claws and flying off with Kora wiggling after him.

"Alright Sara, I'm going to dig through my pack for all my potions, you try and talk to the Suicune." Jacob said, opening his bag and starting to pull out some supplies.

**(Okay…)** Sara whispered as she started waddling toward the Suicune, still eyeing Jacob with a determined expression.

(Sara's PoV)

Sara walked toward the legendary Pokemon, leaving her Jacob to gather his medicine and cooking tools. She was so nervous about approaching the powerful Suicune, weakened or not, it still frightened her. It was powerful enough to beat her and all of Jacob's Pokemon, even kill them, and that was what frightened her.

Sure she was a Pokemon, and sure she was a psychic type, but all she knew was how to growl, and maybe **try** to use a confusion attack that she had never done. That and she had never been in an actual battle before. Sure she understood the gist of how a battle worked, and maybe against a Pokemon her size she might win if Jacob trained her well, but to battle a legendary Pokemon in her state? If she tried to fight this Pokemon she'd be nothing more than a thorn in the side of Suicune's crystal headpiece.

Still, she saw how that Suicune nearly hurt Jacob with its first attack, and no matter what happened to her, she would protect her trainer, even if she was technically wild.

When she was close enough to talk to the Suicune she decided to talk normally with it, only using her telepathy to speak to Jacob. **"Uh, hello?"** She asked nervously.

The Suicune ignored her, still watching Jacob as he pulled out the small pot he used to cook with.

"**Uh… excuse me, Suicune?"** She tried again.

"**What?"** The Suicune whispered in a feminine voice, barely loud enough for Sara to hear.

"**What happened to you, who did this to you?"** Sara asked nervously.

"**Humans, what else?"** She whispered again, still barely speaking up to keep Jacob from hearing. **"Humans, all hunting me like I'm the last Suicune alive, that's what did this to me. Your human's no different."**

"**No, Jacob is a good human!"** Sara said determinedly. **"He just wants to help you get better, I swear!"**

Suicune glanced at her for only a fraction of a second before she returned her full attention back to Jacob, who had pulled out his potions at last. **"Yea right, let's see how long it takes him to capture me, just watch… he'll capture me because he knows he won't get a chance like this again."** She said to her. **"I'm too weak… to run away… he'll capture me… just watch… he's no different."**

"**You're wrong… Jacob is a good human, I know it!" **Sara said as Kora and Roran came back with a bag full of berries, Kora having berry smears across her face.

(Jacob's PoV)

"Alright now we just need to wait for Harold and Ivan to finish gathering the firewood." Jacob whispered as he checked the berries that Roran and Kora brought him. "Kora I told you not to eat any berries!"

"**Wurmple!"** Kora said happily as she licked the juice off her face.

"Oh well, at least we have all the berries we need to cook." He said as he put the berries down and filled the small pot with some water. "Okay first things first, I need to use these potions on Suicune to jumpstart it's natural healing."

He picked up the five potion bottles that he had with him and walked slowly over to Suicune. It watched him every step of the way, growing more and more wary of him as it eyed the potion bottles he was carrying. "It's okay, they won't hurt you. These are potions." He said soothingly. "They just help you to heal faster, that's all they do."

It still watched him with fierce eyes, but didn't attempt to attack him or run away as he put the potions down next to it, taking one in hand and preparing to press the nozzle next to its body. "This will sting a little, but I promise you will start to feel better in a few hours."

He pressed the Potion nozzle next to the Suicune's blue fur, and pulled the handle to inject the bluish-purple liquid into the legendary's body.

Instantly it reacted to the potion's effects. **"Raaaw!"** It groaned as the potion entered its body, working through its system and starting to perform its duty.

"Easy, easy, don't fight it!" Jacob whispered gently as he tossed the empty potion to the side and picked up the next one. "Let the potions do their work, they can only help you so much with all of these injuries. I need to use all of them to even have a chance of healing you."

One by one he injected the Suicune with the potions, and as each one deposited its healing medicine into it, the Pokemon groaned less and less. Eventually all of the potions were spent and he could already see visual signs of the potions doing work. A few of the more minor cuts and bruises were starting to vanish slowly, while the more serious ones were still there. He could even see the Suicune's coat looking just a slight shade shinier than before. Its breathing however still was rapid and harsh, and he could tell that the Potions were starting to sap what little strength the Suicune had in order to start repairing its injured muscles and damaged systems. It needed something to replace that lost energy, as well as fuel the potions efforts during the night.

"There, you should start feeling better in a while." He said as he picked up the empty bottles and looked over the Suicune one last time. "I think now all you need is a good meal and a good night's rest before your body can start to recover. I'll make you something to eat so you can have something in your stomach."

He smiled at it one last time before wearily heading back to his Pokemon who were all gathered with Harold and Ivan, having finally gathered enough sticks for a fire. He didn't even notice that in his tiredness he had accidentally left an empty Potion bottle behind next to the Suicune.

The Suicune looked quickly at him and pushed the bottle into one of the bushes before he or any of his team could notice it.

Ten minutes later a small fire was burning under a cooking pot of just finished Oran Berry soup, the smell of which made Kora really hungry. However nearly his entire team was so tired from the day's traveling and activities that only Sara and Jacob were still up as he put the soup into a bowl for the Suicune. The rest were all in their balls waiting for morning.

He picked up the bowl and with Sara on his shoulder again, walked back to the Suicune as it still lay in the bushes. "Hey there, you okay?" He whispered to the legendary.

It didn't say anything to him as it eyed him with its fierce eyes, but its breathing had definitely steadied. Yet still it didn't look like it was ready to 'run across the land with a gliding elegance'.

"Are you hungry, I've got some food for you if you are?" Jacob asked presenting the bowl of food. "You need something in your stomach or those potions aren't going to help you out very much."

It still didn't respond to him as he presented the food to it, it merely stared at him with its cold, determined, resistant eyes.

"Sara?" He asked, looking at Sara for any kind of hint.

**(She… doesn't… trust humans.)** She said tiredly. **(I told her… you are… a good human… but she doesn't… trust you. She thinks… you'll capture… her… the moment… she looks away… from you.)**

"Alright I understand." Jacob sighed unhappily. "Well in any case, here's the food in case you get hungry."

He put the food bowl in front of the Suicune, before backing away from her and heading back to his backpack. He wearily unraveled his sleeping bag, opened it up and put his bag deep inside to protect it from wild Pokemon. He and Sara were so tired that they didn't even bother putting the fire out, instead letting it die out on its own.

He curled up in the sleeping bag with Sara curling up next to him, and immediately fell asleep.

(Suicune's PoV)

Suicune eyed the human that left her the food, still staring at him with determined eyes even as he fell asleep, but now with a sudden spark of gentleness that she didn't show before. He had the BEST chance any trainer could have had to take advantage of a weakened legendary Pokemon and capture it, and he threw it away. She couldn't have run away before, couldn't have escaped him if he chose to throw a Pokeball and capture her, and she wouldn't have been able to resist being captured even with a fight.

Here she was, lying in a bunch of bushes, starving, weak, tired, almost defenseless, and instead of doing what other trainers would have done, capture her and take her to the Pokemon Center that her mother's mother spoke of. He uses strange bottles to help her, and even cooks food for her. Why?

Still her stomach gave a small rumble, and it forced her to look at the still warm food. Taking a whiff of the bowl of still warm food, she smelled the wonderful aroma of Oran Berries in it, as well as some other fruit that just made it five times more enticing. Her stomach rumbled again, it so loud this time she was surprised it didn't wake up the human and his Ralts. Unable to resist its demand any longer, she dug into the food with extreme gusto.

It was absolutely the best meal she had EVER had in her life. The warm, wet, and soothing feeling of the food going down her parched throat and into her bare, empty, and desperately needy stomach just about changed her opinion on the human. The first taste was nothing short of amazing, it drove her to just eat more. The next few bites were paradise, it washed down her throat and soothed all of the pain her throat had been feeling and wet her parched tongue. The rest of the bowl was absolute heavenly for her, she couldn't believe how incredible the food was, and it only reminded her of how long she had gone without food.

The fear of the humans hunting her all but vanished, replaced by a sense of calm and peace that she had not felt for nary an age. She licked the bowl clean, drank all the juice inside it, and savored every last flavor she could of her first true meal in months. Already she could feel her stomach calming down and putting it to good use, silencing its complaints as its hunger was sated at long last.

She left the bowl where it was and looked up at the human again, sleeping soundly as the fire he had made was starting to die out. _***Was I wrong about humans?***_ She thought as she watched the little Ralts and her trainer sleeping calmly. _***Was I completely wrong about humans? Maybe it's just an act… yea it has to be! He probably just wants me to lower my guard… right?***_

She looked down at the empty bottle and flipped it over with one paw, reading the instructions on the back.

She couldn't read the smaller words on it, but thanks to some small pictures that acted as instructions, she saw what the bottle did. The first picture showed a Pikachu with a bruised tail, the second showed the potion being applied to the Pikachu, and the third showed the Pikachu's tail all better.

She looked back up at the human, and wondered again if she had been wrong about them all this time. However she couldn't focus anymore of her energy on looking at him, because despite her now full stomach, and her limbs feeling slightly better, she was still very much too weak to stay awake. She still hadn't had a good night's sleep and she knew that if she was to heal, she needed it. Yet still she was afraid, that human hadn't left her alone, he was still there and still had his Pokeballs, Pokeballs that could potentially capture her.

She had to take the risk though; she was still much too weak to run away right now. For now, she would have to trust this human to keep his word. He had said he wasn't going to capture her, and he wouldn't hurt her. There was no way she could fight him, at least not until tomorrow when she was more rested. For now, she would have to trust the Ralts' word that her Trainer was a 'good human'.

With a sigh, and heavy eyelids, she fell asleep again, hoping that in the morning, she would still be free of a Pokeball, and the Human would keep up what he did tonight for her.


	10. Chapter 8

=Chapter 5, Suicune's Days of Healing!=

=Day One: Talk with a Starter=

(Suicune's PoV)

Suicune woke up to the sounds of chirping and other noises in the morning, but still didn't open up her eyes. She was just so comfortable right where she was, her stomach was content for the first time in her life, and even her tired muscles were starting to feel better.

At least that was what she was pretending.

Last night had to be a dream, she told herself as she heard leaves rustling in the background, still unwilling to open her eyes and face reality again. Last night she encountered a nice human trainer that didn't try and capture her, that fed her a wonderful meal, and even treated her wounds with medicine. She must have imagined seeing everything last night. The moment she wakes up everything will be back to normal, the pain in her limbs, the aching of her muscles, the rumbling of her stomach, all of that will come back. She had to get up as well, the longer she waited the closer those humans hunting her would get, no matter how tired she was, she had to keep moving.

Even if she felt so comfortable just from laying there that she could have kept right on sleeping.

_***It was a really nice dream…***_ She thought as she slowly started to open her eyes, resigning herself to her fate.

The first thing she noticed was that she was still in the woods where she had collapsed last night. The second was the empty bowl of food and burned out fire pit that the human trainer had cooked the food in as well. He had even left his sleeping bag with a lumpy mound that was most likely his bag, still stuffed inside to protect it from wild Pokemon. Yet there was no sign of the trainer or his Pokemon.

_***He wasn't a dream… he really helped me…"**_ She thought as she spied the empty bottle from last night as well close by. _***But he's not here, so where did he go? His stuff is still here so he must be coming back.***_

Deciding that she wanted to sleep again, she laid her head back down and closed her eyes.

She never thought of humans as anything special, sure they were incredible with what they made, but the way they captured Pokemon and, from her experience anyway, hunted them just gave her a sour opinion about them as a whole. She also wasn't going to change her opinion about them anytime soon, at least not until she kept her eye on this particular human to see what he did. If he really was, as his Ralts claimed he was, a good human, than he will keep his promise and not capture her.

However, a part of her really wanted to meet a trainer that could capture her. Not trainers that could wear her down through sheer numbers, battles, weariness, and everything else she's endured so far, but a trainer that legitimately caught her in a battle of will and strength between his Pokemon and her.

As she rested her eyes, she actually found herself entering into battle from a Pokeball tossed by the human she had just met. _***What was his name again…? Jacob was it?* **_She thought to herself as time went by.

She wouldn't have minded if he captured her, only after he proved himself worthy though. However, judging by his Pokemon he had, he was nowhere near ready to fight her. She could probably beat all of his Pokemon even if they came at her at once, with one single Hydro Pump. None of them were anything special, powerful, or noteworthy as of yet. However if their trainer raised them well, then perhaps they might actually become very powerful.

Then again he was still an untested trainer in her eyes, sure he had gathered quite a diverse team to his name, but that was all they were at this point, diverse.

A few hours passed in which she rested, not really falling asleep because she was still very worried about being found by the trainers hunting her. No matter how kind the trainer was that had helped her last night, he was still but one trainer with five weak Pokemon. During that time she listened very carefully to her surroundings, trying to determine if any humans were approaching, either trying to sneak up on her or if it was Jacob returning.

She was so focused on trying to hear for approaching threats that she fell into a deep sleep, just as Jacob and his team returned.

-Much later that day-

Suicune woke up to the dark night, quietness, and gentle rustling of leaves in the late night in the forest. She blinked several times to wake herself up and looked around at her surroundings. Yes she was still in the forest, right where she had collapsed in the clump of bushes, and she was still recovering her strength and stamina. She could tell that whatever the trainer, Jacob, had given her was working wonders.

Her muscles felt much better than they had been in months, her eyes were still heavy and demanded that she sleep more, but her stomach's demands were more important. Feeling her hunger gnawing at her, she looked around to find that trainer and see if he was still there.

Sure enough, he was, or at least he was still in the same area that she was. He was sleeping in that same bag that he slept in last night, along with his Ralts. Next to him was a small fire, and poking sticks into it was a Treeko, and next to the Treeko was a bowl of still steaming food, its scent wafting over to her and inviting her ever so sweetly.

Accepting the food's invitation, she shakily and wearily stood up, and limped over to the small fire.

The Treeko spotted her limping toward him and the fire and only watched for a second before putting in a few more sticks.

After she limped close enough and lay back down next to the fire, she dug into the small bowl of food with gusto. The food was just as wonderful as it was last night; she could taste the Oran Berry juice mixed with other flavors in this bowl that just soothed her throat and muscles. She licked up every last bit of the food, savoring each flavor it gave her.

"**You're welcome by the way."** The Treeko said to her.

She looked at the little Pokemon and decided to ask a few questions about this nice trainer. **"Thank you… or should I be telling your trainer that?"** She asked.

"**He made food for all of us including you, but you were asleep at the time, so we just let you sleep."** He said. **"He didn't want to wake you because he said you needed sleep to recover."**

"**That was… nice of him…"** She said, eyeing the small gecko Pokemon with curiosity. **"Tell me about this human… I've only ever known humans that hunted me. That's what caused all of these injuries to me in case you're wondering."**

"**He's a nice human from what I've seen." **The gecko said. **"He's learned a lot about us, from who I don't really know. But he's a nice human, his mother is dead from what I've seen, and he's become a trainer to honor her memory and make her proud of him."**

"**Is that all?"** She asked.

"**We've only been traveling together for a few days, at most a whole week, so there's not much to tell."** He replied. **"I can't wait for our first Gym Battle, I've heard from trainers that we battled today that were passing through the woods that their really tough! I can't wait to take on the first Gym Leader with Jacob. We've heard that the leader uses rock type Pokemon in the tradition of the previous Gym Leader."**

She nodded, not really caring for these 'Gym Battles' because she didn't feel interested in such things. **"So why are you up, I'm awake because I was hungry, but why are you awake at this time?"**

"**I had the second watch; Jacob said we needed to be careful during the night in case we need to protect our food and you."** He replied. **"Before we entered this forest, Jacob said we had enough food to last us three weeks. However that was before Kora and Roran joined us. He estimates now, without gathering a lot of berries each day for regular meals in between battles, we have enough to last a little over a week. Kora eats as much as three of us combined, for a Wurmple anyway. So now we're taking turns keeping an eye out for more Wurmples trying to get a late night snack. The only one who isn't to keep watch is Kora, for obvious reasons."**

Suicune chuckled at the thought of a Wurmple eating all of their food, but then a sudden pang of worry crossed her mind. **"Tell me, how long will your trainer be watching over me, it's not like I need protection, but why is he staying here?"** She asked.

"**He says that you were badly injured, and that you would need to be fed regularly in order for all of the potions he used on you to work. So that's why we're still here, to make sure you get better and can take care of yourself before we continue to Rustboro City. But if we can't find enough food to cover feeding all of us including you, we won't have enough to last us the entire trip. But I'm not worried; I know Jacob will take good care of us."**

"**It sounds like your trainer is a really nice human."** She said.

She stayed awake for a little longer, before her tiredness made her stumble and limp back to the bushes, curl back up, and fall asleep once again.

=Day Two, Hunting Humans=

"Okay, that's enough berries for today's lunch." Jacob whispered to himself as he finished packing the latest bag of berries for his team. "It's time for us to regroup with the others Sara."

**(Yes!)** Sara said as he picked her back up and she sat on his shoulder.

Once she was back with him he walked over to the main path in the Petalburg Woods. He had recently found the most effective means of getting through the woods, but even so it would still take him a full week of traveling to get through. However he couldn't think of leaving the Suicune behind just so he could get to his first Gym match. There was no way he could live with himself if he left it in the state it was currently in.

After two good nights the Suicune's injuries were starting to heal, the bruises were starting to fade, including some of the more serious ones. The cuts were starting to scab and thanks to the potions, they were starting to be repaired naturally by Suicune's own natural healing with their help. The muscles were still another story, it was still going to take time before the powerful Pokemon could run as it normally did, but if he kept feeding it Oran Berry's in some form it would eventually repair the muscles normally. At most another two or three days of rest and feeding is how long it would take to be fully restored.

He had been contemplating telling trainers about the injured Suicune, perhaps getting some help to care for it, but after seeing all of the injuries it had the first time he saw it, refrained from asking for help. When it interacted with him during their first encounter it clearly displayed a fear and hatred of humans. He wanted to show that it shouldn't be afraid of humans, especially hate them, but he wondered what could have done that to a legendary Pokemon.

If it had been at full strength, what could drive a legendary roaming Pokemon from Johto to hide here in the Petalburg Woods in Hoenn? What more, what could possibly have created those injuries, and if it was indeed some human, trainer or not, who could hurt such a beautiful and elegant Pokemon like Suicune.

Suicune were known to be elegant, purifying water with their presence, and even helping trainers and humans indirectly with their wisdom. Because they were roaming Pokemon, they knew more than any other Pokemon could know about, having seen and observed more than any Pokemon was capable of.

He also knew Suicune to be very powerful, and above all difficult to capture and even find because of their speed and wandering ways. To even glimpse a Suicune was the highest honor and great accomplishment for a trainer. To fight one was considered a higher honor, because rarely does a Suicune become cornered enough to be forced to fight. To capture a Suicune was also a dream of every trainer, and rarely does it ever come true.

If this was just one trainer wantingto capture a really rare Pokemon, why would they go to such extreme lengths to injure it this badly? Wouldn't a single battle have been enough, even in its current state while it was starting to heal he could capture it right now. Those wounds were repeatedly inflicted upon the Pokemon, from what Arky taught him they looked months old, and the strain the Suicune put upon its leg muscles was too much for them. Even if it is a legendary Pokemon, every Pokemon has its limits.

For it to try so hard to go beyond what its muscles could do, to risk permanent damage to itself, just to get away from humans, it must have endured something terrible.

However he didn't think about that for now, first he had to find his Pokemon, which wasn't too hard.

"Roran, Kora, how are you guys doing?" Jacob called out as he spied his Wurmple and Tailow above him. "Did you guys have any success locating some new Oran Berry trees?

"**Tailooow!"** Roran shouted, looking at Kora with an annoyed look in his eyes.

"Let me guess, Kora was busy snacking again?" Jacob asked as he eyed the cheerful eyes of his Wurmple.

"**Wu-ur-ur-urmple!"** Kora giggled as she munched down on a leaf.

"Kora I told you to look for ripe berry trees for dinner, not snack on the berries." He complained with a smile as he held his arm out for Roran to land on. "Did you at least leave some for us to collect?"

"**Tailow!" **Roran snapped, giving Kora a glare, who quickly replied with another greedy munch of her leaf.

"I'll take that as a no." Jacob said unhappily as he spotted Harold and Ivan approaching from behind him. "How did you guys fair?"

"**Arrrf…"** Ivan moaned as he and Harold shook their heads sadly.

"I'm guessing that means most of the Oran Berries are all still not ready to be picked right?" Jacob asked unhappily, and saw them both nod sadly. "I figured as much, it looks like we'll have to eat sparingly tonight if we want to reserve as much food as possible for the trip to Rustboro. At least we have lunch ready, we'll try looking later for some fresh berries. For now, all of you return, I'll release you again when lunch is ready so you can all get some rest."

He recalled each of his Pokemon back into their balls one by one, making sure to replace them all back onto his belt. Once they were all safely on his belt he began walking toward where he had made camp in the small clearing with the Suicune. He was careful about battling here in the forest, especially now that he had no more potions to use for his team. The few times he'd battled he did his best to end it quickly, and thanks to all of the battles, his team was really getting stronger, including Ivan and Harold, who were really pushing themselves in front of each other.

One trainer asked him why he wasn't using Sara in any of his battles, and he answered that he didn't want to push Sara into a battle she wasn't comfortable or wanted to participate in. Especially since by all rights she was still a baby, after all she was only a little over three weeks old. She was still too young and still too weak to actually battle, not to mention inexperienced, she had never actually battled before and he wasn't too keen on making her fight right now.

However he would eventually have to fight with her, as a Psychic type she had a real advantage over many Pokemon he would encounter, and he knew that eventually she would have to defend herself.

As he walked down the path in the direction of the entrance to the Petalburg Woods where he had entered from days ago, he spotted another person on the path, not traveling it but just standing there. He was wearing traveling clothes like a trainer, but he didn't seem to be an ordinary trainer. Jacob also noticed that he was talking on a PokeNav, the latest model by the looks of it.

"Huh, I wonder who that is." Jacob asked himself as he thought about approaching the trainer.

Sara however, stopped him suddenly. **(No!)** She said quickly. **(He's a bad… man!)**

"What do you mean Sara?" He asked quietly, looking between the trainer and Sara.

**(He's a bad… man… he doesn't feel… nice!)** Sara repeated.

Deciding to trust Sara's insight, he nodded and stepped off the main path so that the trainer wouldn't notice them. Then he quietly walked forward so that he could overhear what the man was saying on the PokeNav.

Once he was close enough he listened carefully.

"I repeat, no sign of the target, it hasn't left the woods according to our lookouts on this side of the forest." He said to whoever he was talking to. "Yes I understand that we won't get another chance at this, I have my team looking everywhere for evidence of where it could be but this blasted forest is just too big for our teams to search effectively. These pathways are constantly traveled on, both by trainers and Pokemon, there's no way to tell which path it could have taken or where it is now. For all we know it could be right under our nose and we can't see it."

There was a moment of silence as whoever was on the other line spoke back, and then the trainer replied.

"Yes I know full well that it could not have gotten too far in its current condition, and I know full well that even under the best conditions it could not recover too quickly." He said coolly. "If you want us to search every inch of this forest alright, we'll start searching, but the trees and all this tall grass make it easy to hide in. If we start searching now it might use the chance to slip through our net and we'll never know until after it's gone. We've asked every trainer that has entered and exited if they've seen any cool Pokemon recently, but so far the only 'cool' Pokemon is a Dustox, so it clearly hasn't been caught yet."

_*What are they looking for, is this man trying to find a certain Pokemon?*_ Jacob thought to himself as he listened in on the conversation. _*Could they be after the Suicune? Is he the reason she suffered all of those injuries, and who is he talking to, are there others in on this?*_

**(I don't like… this human… not at all.) **Sara whispered nervously to him.

Jacob had to agree, especially after the next few lines that the trainer said. "Yes sir, I understand that we need to find it and soon." He said, sounding more annoyed now as he spoke to whoever was on the other line. "I'll keep my team on lookout; it can't escape the woods now that we have all entrances and exits covered. The only way it can get out is with a trainer inside of a Pokeball, and no doubt someone will start blabbing about a really strong or cool Pokemon, especially if they caught it. The moment someone does I'll have my team intercept and take the Suicune by any means necessary, even if we have to use _that_ to get the Suicune."

More silence followed this statement, as whoever was on the other line spoke. "Yes sir I understand that it's too soon to reveal it publicly, it was merely a suggestion." The trainer said. "I'll continue to watch for it to attempt to leave, if I hear anything from my teams about a trainer capturing it I'll immediately intercept them. This is C9, signing out sir."

He clicked the PokeNav off and closed it before walking back down the road, but the last thing he muttered before he left hearing range were more words that only got Jacob angrier at the trainer. "Blasted Suicune, why does it have to be so resilient, even after starving and injuring it for nearly ten months…"

Once the trainer was well away from where he and Sara were hiding, Jacob cursed at the trainer and said many unpleasant things that he did not want to explain to Sara. "Come on; let's get back to camp Sara." He whispered quietly, leaving his hiding spot and getting back on the main path.

=Day Three, Trainer Troubles=

(Jacob's PoV)

"Alright you're starting to look better already, if the feeling I'm getting from your leg muscles is anything to go by your recovering much faster than I anticipated." Jacob whispered as he checked Suicune's legs in the early morning hours. "It's nice that you let me finally approach you without a glare guess that means you at least trust me a little."

He chuckled at his own joke, because in all practicality this was the first day he had really been allowed to approach Suicune without either being eyed carefully, or with her being asleep. She had consented to allow him to check her wounds, and thanks to regular meals and lots of rest with his watching over her, the Suicune was nearly fully healed. She was no longer completely tired like before, and thanks to a Super Potion that he found yesterday while searching for enough berries to make dinner, she had recovered much more rapidly than anticipated.

She would definitely be ready to travel again by tomorrow morning; however she was still not fully recovered. Her attack powers were still recovering from overuse, and her leg muscles were still not ready to run at top speed. Her bruises and cuts had all but faded, and once more her blue, fluid-like coat had regained its elegance that her Pokedex entry showed. Her purple flowing mane was also starting to recover its former glory, and she clearly had changed her opinions on humans thanks to his actions.

_*Then again maybe she just only treats me like this, after what all those trainers did to her I wouldn't be surprised if she still hates humans in general.*_ Jacob thought to himself as he finished inspecting Suicune and returned to his team around this morning's breakfast.

"Alright guys, time for breakfast!" He declared happily.

Today's breakfast was yet another mixture of berries, including Oran, Cheri, and Pecha as the main ingredients. He was getting much, much better at cooking thanks to both his lessons and having to use only local ingredients. Not only were they nutritious but the food was also stuffing, none of his Pokemon, even himself, felt hungry after a single meal.

Well, all for except one Pokemon, a certain Wurmple, named Kora that happened to have been born with a bottomless pit for a stomach. Nothing he did could sate that Wurmple's appetite, every single meal he was sure, if his team didn't hold her back, she would eat all of it and still be hungry.

After pulling out several bowls and handing out food for everyone, he took the last two bowls, one for him and one for Suicune, and walked over to the legendary. He was still amazed that he had shared space with a legendary Pokemon, how many trainers wished they were in his position? He didn't know the answer to that, but he was treasuring every second of it, trying not to let the knowledge that outside of this small clearing humans were hunting this gorgeous creature, without any care or concern for its well-being.

As he put the bowl down in front of it and watched the Suicune eat the contents before going back to his team, he thought again about how he had found it days ago. Alone, desperate, afraid, angry, lashing out against whatever and whoever approached, and terribly weakened by being chased and hounded by trainers who injured it to that extent, it was no wonder why it acted that way towards him. The most ideal situation would have been to capture it and bring it to a Pokemon Center for professional medical treatment.

Sure he wanted to capture the Suicune himself, but not like this, not when it was injured and afraid of humans. To him and his team, and maybe to the Suicune at a later time, it would have been only to help the legendary. But to the rest of the world, it would have looked like he was taking advantage of a weakened legendary and not capturing it the honorable way. He would have appeared to be a really weak trainer trying to get ahead by claiming a cheap legendary that he was not worthy of.

"Alright let's dig in." Jacob said as he started eating his food, only noticing that the rest of his team besides Sara had already eaten their food. "I guess you already dug in…"

They all chuckled as he started to eat, except Kora who was eyeing his food hungrily. **(I waited because… it would be… more polite.)** Sara said to him, eating more slowly because of her small hands.

"Thanks Sara." Jacob said to his Ralts. "But you don't have to wait for me, if you're hungry go ahead and eat without me."

Sara nodded and blushed with embarrassment at his kindness. They finished eating and after Jacob collected all the bowls, decided it was time to clean the cooking tools, including the pots and pans. He left the small clearing with his team and with their help, headed to a small pond that was quite popular with many of the trainers and travelers as a rest area.

He met a few new wild Pokemon that attempted to attack him, but with his team there, they fended them off. A couple hours of scrubbing and cleaning later, and not only were the pots, pans, and everything else he used to cook clean, so to were his clothes. Sara asked why he was cleaning them, and it was again another round of dodging embarrassing questions he really didn't want to explain to his team yet, especially to Sara.

Once they were done they returned for lunch at their small camp to make lunch. Only after he put everything down and started to prepare lunch, they were quickly interrupted by a surprise and unwelcomed visitor.

"Whoa, what kind of Pokemon is that?" A male voice called out, causing them all to jump.

Jacob dropped the small bag of berries he had collected for lunch to see a young trainer entering their small clearing. He looked like any other trainer that Jacob had seen traveling through the Petalburg Woods, but that didn't matter. It was the fact that the trainer was looking and staring at the Suicune with wide eyes.

"Uh… it's a really injured one." Jacob said, hoping that this trainer didn't recognize a rare Pokemon when he saw it.

Through his connection with Sara he could tell that this was partially true, the trainer didn't know what kind of Pokemon he was staring at. But that wouldn't last too long, all he had to do was realize that Suicune was one of a kind, and instantly he would put two and two together.

"Oh is it injured because you battled it?" The trainer asked as he looked between him and Suicune.

"Well no, I found it injured and…" Jacob started saying, but was interrupted as the trainer raised yet another question.

"So tell me is it wild or did you capture it?"

"It's still wild but that's not the point." Jacob tried to say again, getting into dangerous territory. "It's wild and I haven't caught it, I have no intention of capturing it, once it's fully healed I'll let it go on its own."

"What are you stupid, look at that Pokemon, it's so cool!" The kid said, taking out a Pokeball as he smirked. "If you aren't going to capture it then I will!"

The moment the kid spoke up and said the word 'capture', Suicune grew defensive, and released a jet of water at the kid. However because it still hadn't fully recovered, the Hydro Pump was quickly stifled with a cough.

"Now I know that it's a powerful Pokemon, and because you said its weak then I don't need to battle to capture it!" He declared as he pulled his arm back. "Pokeball Go!"

The kid tossed a Pokeball at Suicune, and for a moment she looked afraid as she attempted to stand, but was still not fast enough. Yet just before the ball made contact with its target, the ball glowed slightly and instead veered off course, smacking into a tree and falling harmlessly.

"What the?" The boy said confused as he pulled another ball out.

Jacob looked to Sara and saw her panting slightly with her arms raised. **(I… threw… it off… course… at… the last… second!)** She said tiredly to him.

"Thanks Sara, he said, taking one of his own Pokeball out and releasing Roran. "Listen kid just leave this Pokemon alone, you aren't capturing it!"

"Why, so you can catch it yourself, I can tell that not only is it cool but it's also really strong!" The young trainer said. "If you wanted to capture it you could have done so by now, but you're clearly stupid or else you wouldn't have left it as is. So why don't you let a real trainer capture it and go back to babysitting Wurmples!"

"I'm not capturing it like this, and neither are you!" Jacob said as Roran stared determinedly back. "Just leave this Pokemon alone alright?"

"Yea right, just try and make me!" The kid said, tossing the second ball now. "Come on out Tailow!"

In a flash of light a Tailow of similar size to Jacob's Roran appeared, looking fierce and as determined as any Tailow could ever look. "If you really insist then alright, but I promise you won't get your hands on this Pokemon. Roran, we can't let this Tailow and its trainer get past us, got it!"

"**Tailow!" **Roran chirped.

"We'll see about that, Tailow use Quick Attack!" He shouted.

"**Tai!" **The Tailow yelled, taking to the air and flying faster than any Pokemon Jacob had yet seen.

"Roran hold your ground and use Focus Energy!" Jacob said quickly.

"**Taaailoooow…"** Roran said calmly, closing his eyes and focusing himself.

"Now use Peck!" Jacob said just as the Tailow reached Roran.

"**Tailow!" **Roran said as he jabbed his beak the instant he said so, and just at the right moment the Peck connected just as the Quick Attack did.

"**TAAAAAI…!"** The opposing Tailow said before its momentum pushed it into a tumbling stop. **"Loooow…"**

When it stops its eyes were swirling in confusion, the universal sign that a Pokemon is unable to battle any longer. "Tailow return!" The kid said angrily, holding the ball and recalling his Pokemon back. "How did you do that, my Tailow is stronger than yours. How could you counter a Quick Attack so easily?"

"I didn't, take a look at Roran…" Jacob said, heeding his own advice and looking at Roran.

Roran was sporting a bruise on its chest and was panting heavily as it looked defiantly at the opposing trainer.

"Your Quick Attack was right on the mark, there was no way Roran could have escaped it being so slow and at his current strength." He said. "So I used Roran's Focus Energy to help him prepare. That helped him find the right spot in your own Tailow's defenses to deliver the critical blow.'

"So what if that's what happened, I still have another Pokemon, and this time you won't win!" The trainer declared angrily, grabbing another Pokeball and tossing it. "Come on out Poochyena!"

In a flash of light a small Poochyena just like Jacob's Ivan appeared, giving a low growl as it faced its opponent. Just like his opponent, Jacob recalled Roran and pulled out a second Pokeball, releasing Ivan.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked as he faced his opponent, baring his fangs just like his opposing Poochyena was now. **"Grrrrrrr…"**

"This time you won't win whoever you are, Poochyena use your Bite attack!" The trainer declared.

"**Arf!"** The opposing Poochyena barked as he ran toward Ivan, fangs bared and ready to bite down with force.

"Ivan, use a Sand Attack!" Jacob said quickly, knowing exactly how to counter it.

"**Arrrf!" **Ivan barked, turning around and digging his rear paws into the ground and throwing dirt at his opponent.

"**Arf-rf!"** The opposing Poochyena squeaked, flinching and slowing down as the dirt hit its eyes, unable to see clearly it miss Ivan entirely with its Bite attack.

"Ivan, use Tackle!" Jacob said loudly.

Ivan responded and tackled his opponent, furiously knocking him into the ground.

"Poochyena return!" The opposing trainer declared angrily, recalling his Pokemon back into its ball. "So you won't let me capture that cool Pokemon and you won't take advantage and capture it for yourself, what kind of trainer are you?"

"The kind that doesn't need to take advantage of this Pokemon's weakness for my own selfish needs," Jacob said, "If you were a respectable trainer you'd realize that what you just said was pathetic. If I want to capture any Pokemon, I want to know I captured it honestly and honorably. I'd battle it with my Pokemon and use all of my skill and knowledge to defeat it; I wouldn't use a year's worth of accumulated wounds to capture it because I lacked the skill to in one battle. Besides look at her, can you honestly tell me you would capture this elegant and wonderful Pokemon as it is without even giving it the chance to fight back?"

(Suicune's PoV)

*****_**He thinks I'm elegant… and wonderful… even though all I've done is sit here and let him take care of me?***_ Suicune thought as she observed the two humans fighting over her. _***He's even protecting me when it would be so much easier to capture me…***_

She didn't like the second human at all, he tried to capture her in a Pokeball, and despite her clear weakness he didn't show any mercy. Now she was watching the trainer that had found her first defending her with his own Pokemon, and declaring his intentions without reservation.

The second trainer left soon after, saying something about how Jacob was stupid and would never make it far in the Pokemon League if he couldn't take advantage of every opportunity given to him. Then Jacob and his Pokemon sighed in relief, going back to the food they were preparing for lunch and resuming what they were doing.

He glanced over at her and noticed her eying him and gave a gentle smile before going back to work on their lunch.

She blushed as he looked away, grateful that he didn't notice the red coloring on her blue face._***I like this human… I really do… and I owe him so much now… but how to repay him…***_

=Night Four, Suicune's Down Payment!=

It was much later that day, many hours after the young trainer that left them alone, and it was an especially long night for Jacob and Sara.

"Sara… how are you holding up there?" He asked the little Ralts who was snuggled in his arms, nodding off constantly.

**(Sleepy…)** She whispered, not able to talk much because of how tired she was from keeping watch.

She and Jacob were keeping watch in case of wild Pokemon, and now in case that trainer came back. He still didn't forget what that one trainer he overheard two days ago said; he had to be ready in case they were attacked. He was so concerned with keeping watch that he had forgotten to check Suicune's condition. He knew that it was recovering quickly, but he was still concerned about it being injured. Suicune herself was asleep in her bushes.

This was why he was so determined to keep Suicune safe until she was fully recovered, but he was so nervous about an attack that he had to stay awake as long as he could just to be safe. However there was one slight flaw in his plan to protect Suicune, that plan relied on his team being rested and him being awake to call them out at a moment's notice. While he would have preferred Sara to be rested as well, but she was determined to stay up with him to help keep him safe from wild Pokemon.

He was grateful for her willingness, but because of their psychic link, she was making him even more tired because she was tired.

"Do you sense anything Sara?" He asked Sara as he ticked off the sixth hour into their watch.

**(Sleep… I sense… sleep.)** She said tiredly, nodding off in tiredness and trying her best to stay awake.

"Besides sleep Sara." He asked, his eyes itching in tiredness.

He had his bag packed up and everything ready to leave at a moment's notice on his back, he even put his hat in the bag because he couldn't take the risk of it getting hit in battle again. However right now he was wishing that he had kept his sleeping bag out, just so he could sleep.

**(I sense… a bad guy…)** Sara whispered, and then more suddenly and seriously. **(Bad guys Jacob!)**

"Where?" He said, standing up and preparing himself for battle, backpack still strapped to his back.

"Right here!" A male voice declared, stepping forward and into the light of their campfire.

It was the same trainer that Jacob had observed talking on his PokeNav, the one that had injured Suicune. He was staring at Suicune with hungry eyes and a Pokeball in his hand, as well as a massive grin on his face.

"So you didn't capture it, and you did the honor of taking care of it, good because that means I'll have something good for my boss." He said with a grin.

"You aren't taking this Pokemon, just leave it alone!" Jacob said, Sara on his shoulder giving him a glare.

"Yea right kid; do you know how long my team has been hunting this Suicune? I'm not letting it go without a fight after spending almost a whole year tracking it down with nothing but rumors and wild gossip to go on. So how about we handle this like civilized people, just walk away and leave the Suicune to me?"

"Civilized, as if!" Jacob shouted angrily, grabbing Harold's ball in preparation for battle. "You think I don't know what you did to this Pokemon, it took everything I had to heal it before, and I'm not going to let you hurt it again!"

"I had a feeling you'd say that, I always prefer the greedy trainers that want to capture all the Pokemon they can over the ones that prefer to treat them as equals." He said with a deeper grin. "Well I'd rather not do this, but my boss told me to capture this Suicune. So I guess we do this the hard way, GO RHYDON, YOU TO HOUNDOOM!"

Jacob watched as a massive Rhydon with a tough rock-like skin and a Houndoom with a tough leather-like skin appear. His Pokemon glared at Jacob, and instantly Jacob could tell that this was not an ordinary battle. There was no way that any of his Pokemon could take on either of this trainer's Pokemon, even if they attacked together. Sara would have been his only hope, but as a young Ralts with no experience and as tired as she was, she didn't stand a chance, that didn't even include that the Houndoom was part Dark, making it immune to her attacks.

He was hopelessly outmatched; if he sent his Pokemon out against this trainer's Pokemon they would be massacred.

"I can tell you're just a beginning trainer, the proof is that you don't have anything tough enough to take us on." He said with an even wider grin. If you did you would have brought it out by now, so why don't you just do the smart thing and walk away. If you do I promise to leave you alone."

Jacob took a step back, nervous about the safety of his team, but also worried about Suicune. "No deal…"

"Look kid, you're a good person, I'll respect that, and any other day and under any other condition had we met I'd have applauded your determination and skills at caring for Pokemon. But this isn't like your ordinary battle; I'm not going to let a kid like you stand in my way. If you stay here any longer I guarantee your Pokemon will need a lot more than a good night's rest to heal. Just walk away kid, I'm giving you one final chance!"

He shook his head determinedly, wishing he didn't at the same time.

"I gave you the chance kid, remember that." The trainer said. "Rhydon use Hyper Beam!"

"**Rhydoooooooon!"** The Rhydon declared, opening its mouth and unleashing a devastating beam directly at Jacob and Sara.

"**Aroooawr!"** A voice shouted, and instantly Hyper Beam met an equally powerful attack Jacob only learned about from Arky, Aurora Beam!

The two attacks connected and the Hyper Beam was pushed back, blasting the Rhydon with a devastating attack. The attacks knocked Rhydon back and instantly knocked him out. Jacob instantly turned around and watched Suicune jump gracefully from the bushes and land in front of him.

"Suicune, are you all back to normal?" He asked quickly, but Suicune shook her head, still keeping her eyes on the attacking trainer. "I guess you're still not one hundred percent…"

"So you recovered some strength, but this only means one thing…" The man said, taking his PokeNav and flipping it open. "All teams, target sighted at my position, lock in on my signal and regroup here, repeat target sighted at my position. Target is stronger than expected!"

"**Aroaaawr!" **Suicune shouted, opening its mouth and letting loose a Hydro Pump and knocking the Houndoom out in one blast.

"Whoa… that's amazing Suicune!" Jacob said, wide eyed as he watched the battle before him.

**(Wow…)** Sara whispered to him in awe.

"I REPEAT THE TARGET IS HERE, I REPEAT, GET OVER HERE NOW YOU IDIOTS!" The man yelled desperately over his PokeNav as he recalled his defeated Pokemon.

"Suicune what do we do, there's no way you can defeat so many trainers at once?" Jacob said quickly.

"**Aroawr!" ** Suicune said, kneeling down and looking at him.

**(Get on… she says.) **Sara said. **(She'll take us… to safety.)**

"Got it!"Jacob said, jumping on Suicune's back and watching it rise to its full height.

"**Aroaaaaawr…" **Suicune said, its eyes glowing and a sudden mist arising all around them, so thick that Jacob couldn't see an inch in front of his nose.

"Where did it go…!" The man said, but before he could say another word, Suicune jumped and leaped away from the clearing, so fast that the forest became a blur.

They flew so fast and so far that Jacob could barely tell where they were, Suicune seemed to glide across the land, and seemed so graceful even when it was running away. Yet all good things come to an end as they landed in another clearing, well away from where they were before. Jacob got off Suicune with Sara in his arms.

"Now that was a wild ride…" Jacob whispered tiredly as he and Sara got off.

**(Jacob… can we sleep… please?)** She asked him. **(There are no… bad guys… nearby… I'm sleepy…)**

"You're right Sara… thank you Suicune… but right now my Sara and I need to sleep." He whispered as he pulled out his sleeping bag and unraveled it. "Thank you for helping us Suicune!"

**(Yes… tell it… thank you…)** Sara whispered to Jacob as they lay down in the sleeping bag, her wrapping herself in a tight ball on Jacob's chest.

"Sara says… thank you… as well…" He whispered tiredly as he started closing his eyes for sleep.

The last thing he saw of the Suicune was it bending down to bring its face close to his, as though it were trying to get a good look at him, before he fell fast asleep.

-Next Morning-

The next morning Jacob woke up with Sara to a sight that he was both expecting, and not expecting.

First of all, Suicune was gone, and while he was sad that the Pokemon had vanished during the night without even a farewell, he wasn't unhappy. In fact he was really cheerful that it had left. It meant that it was feeling much better and he had saved it from some bad people.

The next thing he found was a small pile of items that he had not seen before, where the Suicune had been before he fell asleep.

"Potions… antidotes… more potions… food packets!" Jacob shouted as he pulled the pile apart and separated the items. "There's enough here to last us a month's worth of medical needs, and the food can last us a full two weeks all on its own!"

**(Do you think… Suicune left this… for us?)** Sara asked in amazement.

"I'll bet you she did." He whispered to himself, wondering how the Pokemon found all this stuff for him. "Huh what's this?"

He picked up one item that wasn't like the others; it looked like a very decorative black Pokeball with red and yellow stripes on it.

"I guess she really wanted to thank us." He whispered as he picked up the ball and opened his bag to start putting the items inside it.

As he did he noticed that something was off. "Hey Sara… one of my extra Pokeballs is gone." He said as he picked up each of the balls. "I have two empty balls on my belt, and there should be three extra here in the bag, but one of them is missing."

Sara looked between the Pokeballs and the fancy black ball in Jacob's hand. **(Do you think… she changed it?)**

"Who knows…" Jacob whispered as he put the balls in their pocket.

(Suicune's PoV)

Suicune bounded through the woods as fast as she could; carrying the Pokeball she had taken from Jacob's strange bag in her mouth. She felt slightly guilty for taking it, but after finding that fancy looking ball lying around with all of the other bottles and things that were human made, she didn't feel too guilty about taking it. She had made a small payment for the debt she was in, a very small payment for a very large debt from her point of view.

She knew that what she gave him was not nearly enough payment for what he did for her, at least in her mind. Yet she couldn't just give in to him, he was still untested, untrained, he was not ready to truly train her. Yet she would never forget him, Jacob, and his Ralts Sara. She would always remember them, and she swore to one day repay him for his care and kindness.

She had found her trainer, the one worthy of capturing her. She wanted to join his team but not yet, it wasn't time yet for her to be captured by him.

Some day he would be ready, and when that day came, she would call him _master_.

She blushed again as she carried the ball in her mouth, the only reminder of the trainer that saved her life while running free and healthy once again.

=Meanwhile in the Petalburg Woods, ?'s PoV=

"Forgive me boss, I tried my best but it got away!" He said nervously, knowing he had fumbled the operation badly.

"So let me get this straight… you let a little kid, heal the Suicune back to health… and escape?" The masked man said annoyed. "First of all, tell me this… and pray that it's the right answer… did you reveal anything?"

"No Sir, I did not say anything outside of 'My boss wanted that Suiune' to him." He said quickly.

"Well at least you have the brains to listen to." His supervisor said, using his mocking tone. "This kid… did you get a good look at him, anything recognizable?"

"No sir… I didn't pay much attention to him." He replied nervously. "He looked like a typical beginning trainer."

"I see… well he obviously doesn't know anything, which saves your skin." He said, turning and dropping four boxes at his feet. "To him it will look like we were just crooks trying to sell a rare Pokemon on the Pokeblack Market, nothing a few phone calls to our agent in the police won't fix. Just one call and we can have any reports about Pokemon thieves beating up a Suicune will be misplaced suddenly. Alright listen up because here are your new orders, this setback is big, we spent ten months and lots of money and manpower tracking that legendary. Since it's a failure we have no choice but to return to our original schedule here in Hoenn, you will take over Team Snagem's job here in the Petalburg Woods. Continue capturing any and every Pokemon Specimen you find here, and send them to the usual location for processing. These Great Balls I just purchased yesterday from Petalburg City's Pokemart stores will get the job done."

"Uh Sir… do you mean any Pokemon we find here?" He asked his supervisor again. "There's nothing but…"

"Yes I know, just get them, send them, and leave enough to throw suspicion from the trainers and travelers passing through. If anyone spots you, your cover is that of a bug collector or enthusiast, tell that to your entire team. I'm off to Rustboro to oversee our operations there and make sure that Snagem is on schedule for their latest shipment. And remember, limit your captures to six a day per person, the more Pokemon we steal the likelier the police and trainer community will catch on to our plans, and we can't let anything spot us this soon."

"Yes Sir Masquerade!" He said, eyeing the boxes full of Great Balls as his supervisor left.


	11. Chapter 9

=Chapter 6, The Ugly Fishy!=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*Hey Arky, it's been one heck of a week since I first entered the Petalburg Woods, first I meet a legendary Pokemon, a Suicune, and not only that but I helped nurse it back to health. It was amazing Arky, let me tell you the descriptions of it on the Pokenet do not do Suicune justice; it was more incredible and more amazing than I ever imagined. The gossipers on the Pokenet Blogs said nothing about how its fur was so much like water, or how fast it could run when it really wants to! And that power it showed, you should have seen how strong Suicune was in battle, I never saw a Hydro Pump as strong as the one you showed me, or what an Aurora beam looked like in person, and that Mist that appeared was of its creation clearly. Which was good because, while I can handle beginner trainers like myself with Harold, Ivan, and Roran's help, against really strong trainers like that guy's Pokemon we wouldn't have stood a chance.*_

_*In any case, after Suicune saved us, she let me ride on her back to safety as we ran through the forest faster than I ever imagined possible. I was so tired that I didn't realize it at first, but she had dropped me, Sara, and the rest of our team right near the edge of the Petalburg Woods, or at the very least we were close to it. As repayment for helping her, (at least I think that's what it is) she left us a lot of items, like potions and antidotes and even some food. She must have spent all night searching the woods and gathering whatever she found lying around to give to us. What really confused me though was the strange black Pokeball that she seemed to have left me. I found it among the items as well, I guess she must have used some kind of Psychic powers or so to transform one of my spare balls into it, because I was missing one of the spare Pokeballs I purchased in Petalburg City.*_

_*I found out from a passing trainer that was traveling to Petalburg from Rusboro that it was called a Luxury Ball, and according to him the Luxury Ball is supposed to make Pokemon caught with it much friendlier. I decided that I'll save this ball for a special occasion, I don't really know what I'll end up using this Luxury Ball for, but I'm sure it will be for a special Pokemon.*_

_*Now I bet your wondering where I am now, that's right, you guessed it, Rustboro City… actually I'm at a trainer rest stop __**near**__ Rustboro City but that's close enough! Remember what I said when Suicune eft us near the edge of the Petalburg Woods? Yea, we were just a day's travel to the exit, but we took a little longer because I was hoping to see Suicune again, I should have known better than to expect a roaming Pokemon stay in one place too long. In any case, after we left the woods we made our way to Rustboro, and to our first Gym battle. We decided to take it slow upon nearing the city, so we could give the fighters on our team a chance to practice.*_

_*Harold and Ivan are really getting better, they really make great rivals, and they both inspire each other to become stronger. Ivan recently learned how to use Bite, and Harold learned Quick Attack, these attacks are definitely going to help us in the upcoming Gym battle, I've learned that the leader there uses Rock Pokemon, and the only ones I have effective against those types are Harold and Sara.*_

_*I'm really against the idea of using Sara at this point, it's not that I don't trust her Arky, but she's still so young. I know you taught me that Pokemon, even at a young age, are really strong unlike us Humans, but she's still only a month old. I can't just ask Sara to go into a Gym battle when she hasn't even fought real battle! Yet she's asked me to help her practice using her psychic abilities, so for the last few days I've been helping her by tossing rocks into the air for her to control, and even Harold has helped her hone her recently mastered Confusion attack by being her, pardon the phrase, Test Subject…*_

(Jacob's PoV)

"In any case Arky, tomorrow we head into Rustboro to sign up for our first Gym match, and who knows I may end up having to rely on Sara for the match alongside Harold and Ivan." Jacob whispered to himself as he wrote in the book Arky gave him, even as he wrote the words he had written before were vanishing at a steady rate. "Wish us luck, I have no idea how we'll do, but we'll do our absolute best!"

As he finished writing he replaced the pen back into its special slot before closing the book and putting it in his pack. He was careful to take his time and be gentle so as to not wake the sleeping Ralts in his lap. Sara was fast asleep in his lap, taking a nap after a whole day of practicing with her powers. Because it took so much concentration just to use any of her powers her mind was just a giant jar of jelly after three long hours of levitating rocks to help build endurance and practicing using her confusion attack on Harold to practice her aim. Still she was really determined to help him, so she was pushing herself really hard, which was causing her to tire herself out much more than she ever did before.

Thus the reason why she was sleeping in his lap as they sat in the rest area before Rustboro City, instead of helping him prepare lunch for the rest of his team.

The rest area, a gathering of some thirty or so tents all stationed around a very small Pond was about two hours walking distance from the city. About ten or twenty years ago these rest areas started springing up around cities where Pokemon Trainers went for their Gym Matches, and thus they were perfect spots for trainers to stay if they didn't want to spend their nights in a hotel or in the Pokemon Center.

The rest areas were also popular places for trainers to practice and prepare for their upcoming Gym Matches, and to show off their skills among other trainers. It was also a social place for both the trainers and their Pokemon to mingle and socialize with others like them. Over the last few days Jacob has swapped stories, rubbed elbows, and traded blows with several beginning trainers like him, he even showed off his cooking skills and taught other trainers how to care for their Pokemon.

As he sat there thinking about everything that's happened over the last few days, a kid about one year older than him, wearing a lime green jersey and a set of azure blue jeans, as well as sporting an official Pokemon League hat walked up to him from his left. He recognized this kid as Arnold, a trainer who shared a tent with an older female trainer named Natalia two tents to his left where he slept at night in his sleeping bag.

"Hey there Jacob, how is your Ralts feeling today?" Arnold, a fellow beginner from the town of Lillycove City asked.

"She's alright; she's just resting after all the training we've been doing." Jacob said with a smile.

He had become good friends with many of the trainers who stayed in the rest area before proceeding to Rustboro or going to travel through the Petalburg Woods. He showed them his cooking techniques, how to cook berries in a soup, and even helped them treat some of their Pokemon after a tough battle.

"That's good that you're training your Ralts now, a Ralts is a rarity nowadays, I haven't seen one in a long time." Arnold said. "Oh, here comes Natalia, I just came to say goodbye because we're both leaving now."

"You are, where you both heading?" Jacob asked as he spotted an older girl of about fifteen years, wearing a short white tank-top, a pink vest, bright green pants and a red bandana with a heavy pack on her back.

"I'm heading to Rustboro for my first battle, it's later today and if I win I'll be heading back through the Petalburg Woods to catch a ferry to Dewford Town." He said with a grin.

"Yea, well hopefully you do win or else I'll be miles ahead of ya kid!" Natalia said with a smug grin. "If your too slow than I'll have to spend so many loooonely nights alone in my tent with no Arnold to poke fun at. Speaking of tents, can I ask you a question Jacob?"

"Uh… yea?" Jacob replied nervously, already sensing what was coming.

"Tell me, do you change clothes in front of your Sara, or do you sleep in the nude with her in that sleeping bag?" Natalia said with a huge grin, causing Jacob to blush and only making her laugh all the harder.

"Natalia stop poking fun at him…" Arnold said with a facepalm. "He gets enough from the other trainers, leave him alone for once."

"Oh don't take it serious, I mean it all in good humor and fun!" She said with an almighty slap to Jacob's back. "See ya round Jacob; meet ya near Petalburg Wood later today Arnold!"

Jacob nodded and watched both Arnold and Natalia go their separate ways to Rustboro and the Petalburg Woods, thoroughly embarrassed at the conversation.

A lot of trainers made fun of him here at the rest area, despite how skilled his Pokemon were and how well he raised them. This was because, while every other trainer in the rest area had or was sharing a tent with another trainer, he only had his sleeping bag to spend his nights with.

He wasn't too ashamed that he was using only a sleeping bag for shelter, it was a miniature tent with all the comforts and accommodations it could provide, all wrapped up in one small package that saved space and more importantly, spared his back and legs extra work. The only real problem, and this was the constant source of his problems, was that the sleeping bag provided absolutely no privacy, a necessity for any trainer traveling with his Pokemon.

That and because he was sleeping with Sara, a female Pokemon, in that sleeping bag every night, a lot of the older and more mature trainers poked fun at him. Especially the teenaged girls, they giggled every time as they saw him in the early morning waking up with Sara asleep on his chest.

While it had been no big deal for him during the Petalburg Woods, here in public and so close to civilization it was a real embarrassment. He wasn't sure what they were talking about either, but after they discovered him overhearing they just giggled even harder and ran away in fits of laughter. Whatever they were talking about, was something he did not want to know.

"Arky… perhaps one of your lessons should have been about what makes girls brains tick." Jacob whispered to himself as he shook his head, rubbing Sara's green hair gently as she kept on sleeping through the conversation.

His teacher taught him many things, but one of those was not girls. This was a lesson he accepted from the beginning to the end of his lessons with the Pokemon. Arky told him that there were many things that he could not teach him, not because he didn't want to, but because there were some things that Jacob had to learn for himself.

**(They need to… stop making fun… of you!)** Sara whispered to him in his mind.

"Were you up the entire time Sara?" He asked as he watched Sara sit up and rub her eyes.

**(I just… woke up… why do they… make fun of… you Jacob?)**

"I don't know honestly, but I'm not too bothered by it and neither should you!" Jacob said cheerfully as he put Sara back on his shoulder. "Alright let's start making lunch, come on out everyone!"

Jacob released each of his Pokemon one at a time, and after telling them the plan they started gathering the necessary firewood to prepare soup for today's lunch. In a few minutes they were ready to start cooking.

"You guys sure are hungry today aren't you?" He asked as he lit the fire and started feeding it small sticks to get it going. "Guess all this training has given you empty stomachs."

"**Treecko!"** Harold said happily.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked.

"**Tailoow!' **Roran chirped with a sharp nod.

"**Wurmple!"** Kora said, munching on a leaf.

"Well… at least most of you have gotten an empty stomach thanks to this training." Jacob said with a chuckle. "Kora just seems to never have a bottom to her stomach!"

"**Wurm!"** Kora declared, finishing her leaf.

**(Kora if we… didn't hold you… in your ball… we'd have no… food for the… rest of our… trip!)** Sara translated to Jacob after she spoke it normally to them all.

They all laughed at that, including Kora because of how true it was. The only thing stopping Kora from pigging out and seeing how big her stomach was is her Pokeball and the rest of Jacob's Pokemon keeping an eye on her.

"It's okay Sara; I really doubt Kora would eat all of our food in one day." He said, petting Kora's head. "If she did, then how could we feed that empty stomach of hers?"

"**Wuuuuurmple!"** Kora said happily.

Lunch was cooking in a few minutes, and the smell of spices and berries mixed with some new ingredients soon was wrapping around the entire rest area, including those of other meals being prepared around the crystal clear pond.

"I still wonder how the water got so clean." Jacob whispered as he eyed the pond.

When Jacob came to the rest area several days ago, the pond was quite dirty and very filthy, full of garbage and unfit for anything. Because of this the trainers who stayed at the rest area had to purchase Rustboro City water in bottles in order to cook, clean, and other things, they even had to pay extra at a nearby bathhouse because of it. This was a problem for Jacob, because since he didn't have any sort of steady income, he couldn't afford to purchase water each day to cook food and clean himself at the bathhouse, as well as clean his dirty clothes here in the rest area.

So to try and help his situation he started trying to clean out the pond on his first day there. A lot of trainers were laughing as he and his Pokemon hauled out garbage all day, making fun of them for doing 'charity work' when there was no way it would work. After a long day of cleaning up garbage for the rest area, he took that and the garbage from the Petalburg Woods and tossed it in a garbage can nearby.

Later that night they went to bed, and only added to the laughter that he was receiving from the trainers around the pond. However in the morning, he awoke to the sight of a beautiful crystal clear pond of water. All of the grime and dirt and everything else was gone from the pond, much to the surprise of every one of the trainers. Nobody could explain why the pond was so clean, but it certainly changed everyone's opinion about Jacob and his team.

Jacob wondered if there was another reason for the pond becoming clean overnight, but pushed it aside. There was no way that Suicune was so close to Rustboro and all of these trainers.

After lunch they decided to let Harold and Ivan practice fighting some more away from the rest area. The two Pokemon were practicing dodging each other's primary attacks when Jacob saw a couple trainers talking to some kind of salesman near the public bathhouse. The salesman looked rather pathetic when compared to the trainers, he was wearing a very dirty trench coat that looked like it had been through every kind of weather, and his hat had patches for all of the countless patches that were used to patch it up.

"Come on take a good look at this specimen that I have for sale today trainers!" The man said to two trainers, pointing with a large fan at a tank full of water in front of him. "Tell me who is ganna buy this fine Pokemon specimen from me for the reasonable bargain of two hundred Pokedollars?"

"Guys come with me for a second; I want to check this out!" Jacob said to his team, and instantly Harold and Ivan stopped practicing to join him.

They walked over to the salesman and Jacob examined the Pokemon inside of the tank. The Pokemon looked like a fish type, but it was so filthy that it looked like its scales were made of dirt and mud instead of scales. It had this strange, dimwitted look like it had no clue what was going on, and all it did in the tank was float in the one spot. It looked at them all with a clueless expression, apparently unaware that there were trainers staring at it.

"So tell me youngins, what do you say, will you buy this Pokemon from me?" He asked them with a big grin, looking between the male and female trainers on Jacob's sides.

"As if, look at this thing, it's absolutely pointless to have this Pokemon." The male trainer said in with a sneer. "It's weak, it's pathetic, there's no way I'm buying this fish from some dirty smelly salesman. I'm trying to WIN in the Hoenn League, not get laughed at."

"Yea, I'm entering a Pokemon Contest in Dewford, and I need cute Pokemon for my routine, this thing is about as far away from cute as you can get." The female trainer said, turning and walking away without a second glance with her fellow trainer.

"What about you young man would you like to buy this Pokemon?" He asked. "I'll tell ya what, I'll cut ya a deal and sell it for only one hundred Pokedollars."

"What is it first…" Jacob asked himself, pulling out his Pokedex and having it scan the Pokemon.

_[Feebas, the Fish Pokemon__, __Feebas's fins are ragged and tattered from the start of its life._ _Feebas live in ponds that are heavily infested with weeds. Because of its hopelessly shabby appearance, it seems as if few __T__rainers__ raise it_._]_

After this description he looked at the Feebas, and asked himself if there was another reason why this Pokemon was so shabby.

_[Feebas are known to be very tough survivors, capable of surviving in almost any environment, however the only moves Feebas are only known to learn how to Splash, Tackle, and Flail naturaly.]_

Jacob looked at the Feebas again and wondered just why this man was trying to sell such a Pokemon to trainers. "No offense sir, but why are you trying to sell this Pokemon?" He asked.

"Ah that is a good question my young man, why indeed, and I'll tell you if you buy this Feebas from me!" The man said with a grin. "I can tell you have a thing for Pokemon, a lot more than those trainers that just left, because you haven't left yet and you are asking me questions. So I'll promise to answer your question if you buy it. Come on, buy it, this Feebas is a fine catch; I'll cut you an even better deal and sell it to you for fifty Pokedollars! What do you say?"

**(I don't like… this man… he's selling a… Pokemon!)** Sara said to Jacob angrily. **(This isn't… right!)**

"Yea I know Sara, Pokemon don't deserve to be treated like merchandise." Jacob said unhappily as he looked at his Pokemon, each of whom looked angry at the sight of the salesman.

Jacob looked at the Feebas again, stared at the dimwitted and bored expression on the Pokemon's face. Jacob had been taught to not treat any Pokemon based on appearance only, but even the Pokedex's description and scientific evidence pointed to Feebas being absolutely pointless and worthless. By all rights he should just walk away and forget about this Pokemon. Even if it was a water type, from what the Pokedex said, it was completely useless. Splash did absolutely nothing, Tackle was only good if it was in or near the water, and Flail depended on Feebas being attacked first to do much damage. For his journey he should just leave this Pokemon alone.

Jacob sighed to himself as he imagined how many other trainers have stared at this Feebas and called it pathetic and ugly. He felt sorry for it; it wasn't Feebas' fault that it looked this way, which is why what he did next did not surprise him.

"I'll pay the original two hundred for it." Jacob said, pulling out two hundred Pokedollars from his backpack.

**(Jacob… why are you… buying this… Pokemon?)** Sara asked him in shock. **(I thought you… said… Pokemon deserve better… than that!)**

"Yea, they do deserve to be treated better than this." Jacob said, handing the money over to the salesman. "That is exactly why I'm buying it from him, so that he doesn't treat it like this anymore."

The salesman grinned again as he counted the money before looking up at Jacob. "Nicely said kid, which is precisely why I'm giving you your money back and letting you keep this Feebas for free!"

"What?" Jacob stated, shocked that the man was handing over the money back to him. "But you just… why would…"

"To answer you, the reason why I'm trying to sell this Feebas to trainers is to see how well they treat Pokemon." He said with a grin. "There are three types, the kind that would buy Pokemon if they could, the kind that dislike Pokemon being sold as merchandise, and the kind that treat Pokemon as merchandise. I have my reasons for picking this Feebas, and only the absolute best trainers or the more experienced will know the reason why. However I wanted to see what would happen and how people would react to this situation. Now tell me what do you think of this Feebas, based your own opinions of it right now."

Jacob looked between the Feebas and the man and answered instantly. "Well… I know it's weak and… forgive the term, pathetic." He said. "But… I've been taught that all Pokemon are unique and powerful in their right. They just need the right trainer to realize their potential."

"So given that… are you the right trainer for this Feebas?" He said with a smile. "I won't force you to take it, if you want to you can release it into a river, a pond, a swamp, anywhere is fine. It's a strong survivor, so you don't need to worry about it not living without you. Plus it's not too bright so I highly doubt it will even notice you releasing it."

Jacob looked at the Feebas again and noticed that this was quite true. It was staring at him, but it still hadn't lost that bland, bored, dimwitted expression on its face. In fact if Jacob didn't know any better, he might have assumed it didn't care about anything.

**(Jacob…)**

"Yea Sara?" He asked Sara, looking at her as she sat on his shoulder.

**(Don't leave it… please?)** She asked him nervously. **(It may be… dumb now… but you said… each Pokemon… needs a great… trainer to raise… them!)**

"You sure about this Sara, you know I have no idea how to raise this Feebas." He whispered to her. "What do I do with it, it probably doesn't even talk."

**(You are a… good human Jacob… and a great… trainer!)** Sara said confidently. **(I'm sure… you'll find… a way!)**

Jacob looked down at his Pokemon Harold and Ivan, who both nodded confidently. Jacob nodded as well, and made up his mind. "Alright it's decided, I'll keep the Feebas." He said, looking at the dirty fish and smiling. "So Mr. Salesman, what gender is… it?"

He looked up and saw that while he, Sara, Ivan, and Harold were all talking to each other and deciding what to do with the Feebas, the salesman had gone and vanished.

"Ivan did you or Harold see where he went?" Jacob asked.

"**Rrrrrf…"** Ivan moaned sadly.

"**Tree…"** Harold said in amazement.

"Sara… did you sense anything bad from him?" He asked.

**(No… he felt nice… I didn't mention… it before but… he was really… nice!)** She said to him. **(I didn't care… because he was… selling a Pokemon... forgive me Jacob.)**

"It's alright Sara, but now that I'm keeping a Feebas, what do we do with it?" He said, looking at the Feebas in the tank still staring at him. "Well for now let me put my bag down and try to carry it."

He put his bag down as well as Sara so that she wouldn't get hurt if the Feebas proved tougher to handle than he imagined. With the bag down he pulled out the Pokeballs and placed them on the ground, including the Luxury Ball. He was going to use a standard Pokeball to hold Feebas, mostly because it was the most common and standard ball he had. Also he wasn't sure how he was going to use the Luxury Ball yet. Also he had his hat on the ground with the balls so it wouldn't get blown away if the Feebas jerked violently.

"Okay Feebas, out of the water you come." Jacob said as he rolled up his sleeves and dipped his hands into the tank.

The Feebas was, quite docile in the tank, even when he had his hands on it and started tugging at it to pull it out of the water. However once it was out of the water entirely, its docile look vanished entirely. It started flopping madly, violently, and wiggling furiously each second he held it out of the water.

"**Feebas Fee Fee Feebas Feebas!" **It said over and over as he tried to hold onto it with one hand and grab a Pokeball with the other.

"Hold still… Feebas…" He groaned as he held on tightly, trying to grab a Pokeball. "Hold still… now… come on… just… WHOA!"

The Feebas gave an almighty jerk and flew out of his hands and directly onto the Pokeballs below. It landed heavily on the balls, and in a flash of red light, vanished into the Luxury Ball.

It shook twice before a loud ping, signaled that the capture had been successful.

"Did… I just capture Feebas… with the Luxury Ball?" He asked his team as he stared at the ball.

**(Yes…)** Sara whipered.

"**Tree…"** Harold said.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked.

"Well… there's no point moaning about it now…" He said to himself as he put all of the spare balls back and placed the Luxury Ball on his belt. "Well team, let's get introduced to our newest teammate."

They headed back to the rest area, and after releasing Roran and Kora to explain why they were out before dinner, released the newly acquired Feebas into the pond water.

The Feebas looked around a bit before it swam to face him with its still dimwitted expression. "Hello Feebas, I guess I'm your trainer now huh?" He asked it.

"**Feebas…"** It said slowly. **"Fee… Feebas… bas bas Fee. Fee bas bas Fee"**

He looked at Sara with a raised eyebrow. "Uh… Sara… can you translate please?" He asked.

Sara nodded and instantly replied. **(She says… Thank you… but you should… not have… bought me… I am just… an ugly fish. I'm useless for… anything besides to… make fun of… she says.)**

"Maybe to others, but to me you're a really special Pokemon." He said with a smile. "And to the rest of my team, you're now a valued member of our team! So don't ever think of yourself as ugly ever again. You may not be the prettiest fish out there, but you are most definitely one of the toughest."

"**Feebaas!" **The Feebas said happily, smiling with its eyes and splashing the water with enthusiasm. **"Feebas Fee Fee Feebas bas!"**

**(She says… thank you so… much for saying… that, I will… not let you… down… I promise!)** Sara translated.

"No problem Feebas… but now that we know you're a girl you need a name." He said. "How about Coral, do you like the name Coral?"

"**Feebaaaas!"**

**(She says yes… she loves it!)** Sara said happily.

"Alright then, welcome to the team Coral!" Jacob said with a smile, glad to have a new member on board his team.

(?'s PoV)

"Ha tata lala dida!" He said with a smile and a skip as he wandered into Rustboro's high status grooming section.

A lot of people walked away from him, looked down at him, and whispered about how dirty he was and why he was in the most prestigious section of the grooming part of Rustboro. He walked over to the most expensive, most high class boutique salon for Pokemon grooming and entered it, ignoring the 'Closed for Today' sign. "Hello sister, how is business today!" He asked the girl inside.

"Hey bro, you're back earlier than expected, I'm guessing you were successful in finding a trainer for the Feebas?" She asked with a smile.

"You betcha, found the best trainer for it in the last three weeks!" He said happily. "I swear none of these new trainers have a sense of beauty or inner strength in ANY of them, they all just made fun of me and that Feebas. Was going to pay full price for it even after I turned down the offer to one fourth of the original, didn't care about the price. I must say it was a match made in Hoenn!"

"Oh you're very clever with the pun bro." She said, giving him a slap on the head. "So do you think he'll make it work? Will your plan work?"

"Who knows, but I do know this, I hope that he finds the inner beauty of that Feebas!" He said with a smile. "After all, it doesn't matter what's on the outside, it's on the inside that truly tells what kind of Pokemon you are!"

"I hope so, I spent two months finding that Feebas on Route 119." She said with a sigh. "Really brother you have more patience then me, you should have been the one finding it."

"Oh you know me sister; I prefer to see trainers first hand!" He said with a giggle. "After all, what's the point of having only Pokemon that look nice to you? True beauty is on the inside, and it's up to the trainer to find that inner beauty in ALL of their Pokemon."

"Yea I know, you've told me that before, now shut up and clean up that MUD your tracking in here!" She yelled, taking a mop and smacking him with it. "THIS IS A BEAUTY SALON, NOT A GARBAGE DUMP!"


	12. Chapter 10

=Chapter 7, The First Tests!=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*I'm about to head out to Rustboro tonight, I'm still wondering how to raise Coral, my new Feebas that I acquired (acquired because I have no idea what else to describe it as). Coral is certainly not the most powerful Pokemon I've ever heard of, and everyone I've asked yesterday just said to release her.*_

_*I've looked up in my Pokedex about how to train Coral, but even it doesn't have much information outside of battling it. There isn't much data about Feebas outside of it being shabby and nobody wanting to train it. I'll figure out something for Coral, I'm not about to give up on her yet.*_

_*Back to what I'm doing today, I'm planning on going to Rustboro to sign up for my very first Gym match. Back in the day like forty or fifty years ago, all a trainer had to do was walk into the gym to challenge the Gym Leader. Yet nowadays you have to schedule a match because of how many trainers there are. I mean, back in Littleroot, I thought seeing ten trainers at a time was a lucky day when I was younger. But here in the rest area, there had to be at least sixty trainers including me, it just shows how amazing being a Pokemon Trainer is!*_

=Battle One, the Training Wheels are Off!=

(Jacob's PoV)

"Well Sara here we go, time to go sign up!" Jacob whispered as he strode into to the Rustboro City Gym. "This is our first big test as a team Sara, I hope we do well."

**(I don't hope… I know!)** Sara whispered to him confidently, though he could tell she was just as nervous as he was. **(You will… do well… and we'll help… you out!)**

"Good to know… so if I collapse you'll catch me right?" He joked, trying to raise his spirits.

**(I'll try… but don't expect… a miracle.)** She replied.

He knew he shouldn't be worried about signing up for his first big Gym match, but he was still really nervous. He had never been to a big city like this, and seeing all of the trainers and tall buildings, the shops and all the steel structures of Rustboro was so intimidating for him. Petalburg had been more like what he was used to, having grown up in Littleroot and being 'closer to nature' as Arky had told him he was. However there were almost no trees or plant life like what he was used to and familiar with, it was all concrete, steel, and glass.

That and all the shops, there seemed to be a shop almost everywhere, ranging from clothing stores for humans or accessories for Pokemon, and even some that had both. To shops that sold food, restaurants, grocery stores, Pokemon food stores, fast food places, everything he could think of there seemed to be a store with it. There were other stores that sold traveling equipment and other such merchandise, and all-purpose convenience stores.

The first thing he did upon entering Rustboro City, besides being intimidated, was check his Pokemon in at the Pokemon Center. Without fail all of his Pokemon passed the health check, and Nurse Joy said that all of his Pokemon but Coral were at the peak of health. She said that whatever he was feeding them was really helping their bodies get stronger. She even asked for the recipe of whatever he was feeding them, which he gladly shared, saying that he hoped it helped heal injured Pokemon better.

After he checked them all in, he headed over to the Rustboro Gym, which is what he was entering now after a long walk.

The Rustboro Gym, or at least the lobby, looked pretty interesting. On the sides were stone slabs, where engraved into each slab were the names of every trainer that had defeated the Gym Leader each season and lining the floors were eight statues depicting a different Rock Type Pokemon, each one a different type of rock element, and each statue had a stone slab hanging from it. Each of the slabs had several names written on them already, but for the most part they were blank, awaiting names to be engraved on them for this season.

At the far back next to a large door was a single table with a young lady who was signing up trainers to challenge the Gym Leader. Among them he recognized a familiar face.

"Hey Karen!" He shouted, waving at a certain energetic trainer to get her attention.

Instantly at his voice Karen turned around, smiled enthusiastically and ran over to Jacob, grabbing his hand and shaking it like a jackhammer. "Hey there Jacob old buddy, nice to see ya how you doin, nice Ralts by the way, tell me is it male or female?" She said, not giving him time to ready himself or Sara time to brace herself before she was clutching Jacob's neck to hold on. "Don't tell me, leme guess it's a girl right, I know I'm right! Hardly seen a Ralts since I started training Ziggles and the way it's clinging to you I KNOW it's a girl! Oh Ziggles and I have gotten stronger by the way, nice to know huh? I also got some new friends on my team and let me say they are a ton of fun to train!"

"That's nice to know Karen, but can you please let go of my hand!" Jacob said quickly as he felt Sara losing her grip.

"Oh yea sorry!" Karen said, laughing at her own enthusiasm. "Sorry I got a little carried away, but after you left I had so many boring battles. Poochyena, Wurmple, Shroomish, and the occasional Tailow, nothing and I mean nothing but those! It got boring for me and Ziggles, so we decided to go on to Rustboro through the Petalburg Woods. I decided to start with my first Gym here in Rutboro and sign up for my match, that and I needed to buy some new clothes for my journey. Ziggles tore up all of my traveling clothes by accident. But man are you slow Jacob, how long have you been traveling, you left me about a week ago and you only just showed up here now?"

"Well that's not entirely true, but we can talk about that later." Jacob said as Sara steadied herself and looked up at the older trainer. "This is Sara, a technically 'wild' Ralts. She wanted to join me after I found her starving after you and I battled. Sara, this is Karen, a trainer I battled with Harold prior to meeting you."

**(Nice… to meet… you.)** Sara said to Jacob, giving Karen a slight bow as he translated for her.

"Oh she's already talking to you psychically huh?" Karen asked in amazement. "Wow, talk about friendly for a Ralts, the Ralts' I've read about don't speak with their mind to their trainer for at least a while after their caught or found, sort of a trust test period from what I've read. She must really trust you or like you if she's speaking to you like this."

**(I trust… Jacob… a lot!)** Sara said happily. **(He's a nice… trainer!)**

"She says I'm a nice trainer, and that's why she trusts me a lot." Jacob said to Karen, happy to be playing translator for Sara.

"I figured that, but why didn't you capture her?" She asked curiously. "Sounds like she wouldn't resist at all and would love to be captured by you, so why are you keeping her wild?"

"Sara doesn't like Pokeballs, so I'm respecting her wish to not be put inside one." He said, rubbing Sara's head. "She follows me because she wants to, and listens to my commands when training and in battle, but she's still wild by her wish. So I'm not going to force her into a Pokeball if she doesn't want to."

"Alright that's understandable." She said with a smirk as they both walked back over to the front desk as the line got shorter. "Anyway, where you off to after this, I need to go get some new traveling clothes. I won some spending money thanks to the local Pokemon tourney here."

"Local Pokemon tourney?" Jacob asked as Sara looked at the statues around them.

"Yea, you know a tournament for trainers here in Rustboro, nearly all of the cities have them in some form." She said nonchalantly. "They have them every day, walk in trainers compete and battle for small cash prizes. Nothing fancy, at most each trainer that wins his match gets about five hundred Pokedollars, plus extra depending on the tourney rules and competition. They have them each day; it's funded by the Pokemon League as a way for trainers to finance themselves during their travels. I'll show you where to go if you want after we both sign up."

"That sounds like a good idea; Ivan and Harold are both itching to show off." He said as he imagined telling his two most eager and strongest team members of the tournament.

"What about Sara there, she's a Psychic type, and there aren't many trainers who have Psychic type Pokemon at our level." She said as they moved up. "I'm sure she'd be a grand slam in a fight, Ralts or not. Man how I wish you had her when we first met, I woulda loved to battle against her."

"I don't know, I mean Sara is still a little young and inexperienced…" He said hesitantly as Sara turned to look at him.

**(I can battle… just let me… try!)** She said confidently.

"I just don't want you getting hurt." He said nervously. "If something bad happened to you, you aren't in a Pokeball so it's not like a trip to the Pokemon Center will fix everything if something happens."

**(I can do… it Jacob!)** She said with a sharp nod. **(Give me… a chance… please?)**

Jacob thought about it as Karen walked up to the desk and signed up for a match with the Gym Leader. He knew that Sara was really improving with her Psychic powers, she had finally mastered her confusion attack, and her growl was a little more intimidating now thanks to help from Ivan and Roran. But she was still untested in battle, if she went in as is, she might not fare well under pressure.

Still though he remembered one of his lessons from Arky, the best way to learn was first-hand experience, so he figured it would be best if he listened to Sara's wishes and gave her a taste of real battle. "Alright Sara, after we sign up we'll head over to this local tournament and enter it." He said with a nod.

**(Thank you!)** Sara said, rubbing her cheek with Jacob's as a sign of affection. **(I promise I… won't let… you down!)**

"I know you won't." Jacob chuckled as he stepped forward when Karen moved out of line.

He looked at the signup schedule for matches with the Gym Leader, and saw that there were only a few spots and times available for him. He either had to pick tomorrow super early in the morning, as in two hours before dawn, or two days from now at mid-day. While he wanted to get his first Gym over with, he wasn't too eager to wake up hours before his match was to begin just to get there on time before dawn. Neither was Sara, and if any of his Pokemon had been out, neither would they. So he signed up to have his match the day after tomorrow.

"There we go Sara, now we just need to show up and do well, and we might have earned our first Gym badge." He said to Sara as he walked out with Karen leading the way.

"Yea well don't be so easy going, Gym Leaders are tougher than ordinary trainers, if you aren't careful they'll stomp you without breaking a sweat!" Karen said as they turned down one street. "Especially the Rustboro Gym, you can't even challenge the Dewford Gym Leader until you win a badge here in Rustboro. Plus the Gym Leader here uses the same Rock Types that the original Rustboro Gym Leader used back in the day. If I remember her name was Roxanne, but after she retired Karen, an admirer of hers took over, and after she retired so did this one. If I remember her name was Tara."

**(She knows… a lot about… this Gym… Jacob.)** Sara commented from his shoulder.

"Sara said you seem to know a lot about this Gym." He relayed.

"It's because I want to get an advantage in my match, so I did some research beforehand." She said as she led them down another street toward the edge of town and toward a huge open area that was surrounded by a high fence. "Alright here is the local tournament Jacob, see that man there?"

Jacob looked and saw that there was a man with a clipboard talking to a group of trainers. "Yea?" He replied.

"Talk to him, tell him your name, how many badges you've got, show him your Pokedex and how many Pokemon you're entering into the match." She said in an excited voice. "Then wish yourself luck, because these trainers fight hard. It may only be five hundred Pokedollars but this is how all trainers make their money outside of big league matches. You can enter only one tourney a day, and up to three times a week if you win all three. I'd watch but I want to fight you later on, and I don't want to spoil the surprise of what Pokemon you have, though I can probably guess what you've got. Good luck Jacob!"

"Alright, thanks a lot Karen!" He said as he waved goodbye, watching Karen run back into the city.

**(She's weird…)** Sara commented as they went to the entrance.

"Well other trainers might have the same opinion about me Sara." He said as the trainers ahead of him entered and vanished out of sight.

The man looked up from his clipboard and examined Jacob momentarily before asking for his name, how many badges he had, and how many Pokemon he planned to enter. After that he asked for his Pokedex and after checking it to see how long he's been a trainer, gave him a number and told him to walk inside until he reached door fifteen and wait for his number to be called.

He entered the opening and saw what he meant by door, along one side of a long corridor were a bunch of odd numbered doors and on the other were even numbered doors. He found door fifteen, and after knocking to let anyone inside know he was entering, opened and walked inside.

The room was fairly large as far as he was aware of, there was enough space for eight trainers and their Pokemon, assuming they were small, to fit in with enough room to walk around. There were already seven other trainers inside and all of them looked up at his entering before returning their attention to their Pokemon, or whatever they were doing before he entered. Guessing that he had to wait there, he found an empty spot where he could sit and waited with Sara in lap.

Through their Psychic link, Jacob could feel her nervousness and excitement about the upcoming match. She had sounded confident before but now that her first match was mere moments away, she was getting nervous and afraid.

He could tell that she wasn't afraid of losing in the match, nor was she worried about doing badly, she was more afraid of letting Jacob down when he had faith in her.

"Hey don't be so worried, it's just like all the other battles we had during Petalburg Woods and while at the rest area." He said. "Don't take it too seriously."

**(But you heard… Karen… this time there's… a reward for… winning!)** She said nervously, looking up at him with her amber colored eyes. **(What if we… lose… what if we… fail?)**

"We still have food to last us a few weeks, and I still have that other nugget if we need money." He said with a confident smile. "Just consider this a test of our teamwork and of everything we've been practicing till now, and try to learn from any mistakes we make."

**(Alright…)** Sara said with a nod.

There came a knock at the door and a voice called out, "Number fifty seven, number fifty seven you're up next!"

One of the trainers stood up and walked out with his Pokemon, a Poochyena. Moments after he left, another knock came and called for number eighty nine.

This time another trainer stood up and walked out with her Wurmple holding onto her back.

It went like this for twenty minutes, with periods of waiting as the trainers in his room left one at a time as they were called out for their battles. One by one the room emptied until only he was left alone with Sara inside.

Wanting to talk to his team before they were called out, Jacob released Harold, Ivan, Roran, Coral and Kora out onto the floor of the waiting room. Coral started flopping around before Jacob grabbed and calmed her down, then he spoke to them all.

"Alright team, we have a Gym match the day after tomorrow, but before that we have a battle today." He said to them all, and he could tell they were hanging on his every word. "This is a really important match, it's just a local tournament for the trainers here in Rustboro, but dozens of people are going to be watching us fight. The winner of each individual match gets five hundred Pokedollars as a prize, while the money is important I'm not too worried about it because we still have plenty of food and medicine to live off of. What's really important is that we treat this as if it were a real Gym match, so when we go in there, we need to be one hundred percent ready!"

All of his team nodded in understanding, faces determined and expressions set. "Sadly Coral, I'm afraid this is one match you can't participate in because there isn't any water for you to swim in, plus you haven't had any experience in battling outside of splashing around in the rest area's pond."

"**Feebas bas bas Fee!"** Coral said cheerfully.

**(She says… it's alright Jacob… I'm right here… if you need… me!)** Sara translated for him.

Jacob smiled at his team and recalled them all back into their balls, just as he recalled the last one a knock came at the door and he heard a voice call out his number. He took a deep breath, picked up Sara and put her on his shoulder before leaving the waiting room to follow a woman in an official Pokemon League uniform.

She led him down the hallway and to a fork in the hallway that split up to either the left or right, taking the left path she led him down another hallway and toward a small staircase. "Alright Mr. Beryl, wait here until you are called onto the stage, and good luck." She said with a smile before walking away.

He gulped as he heard a loud cheer come from somewhere, and seconds later another loud cheer. He could imagine trainers currently battling each other in front of a huge crowd, and wondered if perhaps he was wrong to do this. But he didn't get any time as a massive voice over a megaphone called out, **"AND NEXT UP FOR THE BEGINNERS' LEAGUE, JACOB BERYL!"**

He took a deep, calming breath, and gave Sara a pet on her head for good luck before walking up the small staircase and into bright sunlight.

He looked out as he saw row upon row of raised seats on one side of a big clearing, allowing spectators a clear view of the arena, which he realized was what he was standing on. Across from him was another trainer who was standing there waiting for the match to begin. While he and Sara were getting used to the sight of their first battle arena as well as battle in front of a crowd, the voice on the megaphone continued to talk over the small crowd. The crowd itself wasn't too large, at most the seats could only hold about fifty or seventy people, and there were really only about thirty people at the moment. As for the arena, it was quite spacious, being fifty feet in any direction and had a dome overhead to protect the trainers and their Pokemon from the sunlight.

"**THAT'S RIGHT OUR NEXT CONTESTANTS ARE JACOB BERYL FROM LITTLEROOT TOWN, AND HIS OPPONENT IS JEFF COBBLER FROM OUR OWN RUSTBORO CITY."** It shouted for all to hear, and at these words Jeff waved to the crowd who all cheered in response. **"AT STAKE IS FIVE HUNDRED POKEDOLLARS AS PER WALK IN MATCH RULES, BOTH TRAINERS PLEASE BOW TO YOUR OPPONENT BEFORE WE BEGIN THE MATCH!"**

Jacob nodded and bowed to his opponent, who promptly bowed to him before grabbing a Pokeball from his belt. Jacob nodded and put Sara on the ground and grabbed Roran's ball in preparation for the battle.

"**REMEMBER THE RULES; THIS IS A FOUR ON FOUR POKEMON BATTLE. BOTH TRAINERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SUBSTITUTE A POKEMON WITH ANOTHER UNLESS THEY FORFEIT THE ROUND TO THEIR OPPONENT, THE WINNER WILL BE DECIDED WHEN ONE TRAINER HAS NO MORE POKEMON TO FIELD. BEGIN THE MATCH!"** The voice declared.

"Cascoon take to the field!" Jeff declared, releasing a pinkish Pokemon with several spikes and two angry looking eyes.

"**Cascoon…"** It hissed as it was released.

"Roran you're up!" Jacob declared, releasing Roran from his ball.

"**Tailow!"** Roran declared.

"Alright Cascoon, let's start this off with String Shot!" Jeff ordered.

"**Casc…"**Cascoon whispered, before sending out a single sticky strand towards Roran.

"Roran counter it with a quick attack!" Jacob shouted.

"**Tailow!" **Roran declared, rushing into the air and towards the Cascoon before the string shot could reach him.

Roran connected with his attack and the Cascoon was nocked all the way back to its trainer, its eyes spinning around, clearly indicating that it was done.

"**WOW, TALK ABOUT A QUICK ATTACK. THAT LAST MOVE TOOK OUT THE OPPONENT WITH ONE HIT! NOW HE MUST SEND OUT HIS NEXT POKEMON, HIS OPPONENT MAY KEEP HIS CURRENT POKEMON, OR HE CAN BRING IN A FRESH ONE. WHAT WILL THEY SHOW US NOW?"**

"Cascoon return buddy." Jeff said, recalling his Pokemon back into its Pokeball.

"Roran, do you feel like sticking out another round?" Jacob asked Roran, who nodded confidently.

Jeff stood up and pulled out his second Pokeball. "Alright Silcoon, take to the field!" He declared, releasing yet another bug type Pokemon similar to Cascoon, only instead of a pinkish shell this one was white, and its eyes were gentler than Cascoon's.

"Alright Roran, Focus Energy!" Jacob ordered, and Roran replied by closing his eyes and relaxing.

"Silcoon, Harden!" Jeff ordered.

"**Silcooooon."** Silcoon said before its shell gained a gleaming sheen, indicating that it had increased its defenses.

"Roran, Peck attack!" Jacob ordered, knowing that Roran's sharp beak combined with Focus Energy would give it the advantage over Silcoon.

"**Tailow!"** Roran chirped, taking to the air and flying at Silcoon, beak ready and face set.

"Silcoon use string shot!" Jeff said.

"**Sil…"** Silcoon said, releasing yet another sticky strand at Roran, only this time it succeeded in wrapping around Roran, slowing his attack down and throwing off his aim.

"Now use Tackle!" Jeff ordered, and the Silcoon propelled itself forward with the aid of its own string shot.

The combined attacks of String Shot and Tackle, combined with its previous Harden was too much for Roran, who thanks to the string shot was unable to veer away. He connected with Silcoon's attack and was knocked flat on his back, eyes swirling in defeat and confusion.

"Roran return!" Jacob said quickly, recalling Roran instantly. "Don't worry Roran, as soon as we're done here I'm taking you to the Pokemon Center."

"**COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY IF EVER THERE WAS ONE, AFTER A RESOUNDING ONE HIT KNOCK OUT, JEFF PULLS BACK WITH A STRING SHOT, TACKLE, HARDEN COMBO! HOW WILL JACOB RESPOND?"**

Jacob looked at the Silcoon and pulled out Harold's ball. "Harold, you're up!"

Harold appeared in a flash, and gave his cry as he faced off against the Silcoon. "Silcoon use String Shot!" Jeff ordered.

"Harold use Quick Attack!" Jacob shouted.

"**Tree!" **Harold said as he got on all fours and quickly raced forward, outpacing the sticky string that Silcoon emitted.

The same thing repeated for Harold and Silcoon that happened between Roran and Cascoon. Harold smacked Silcoon head first, and sent it flying back into its trainer's arms, eyes spinning as it sported a very dark bruise on its shell. As for Harold, he wobbled slightly as he returned to Jacob's side of the arena, the Silcoon's hardened shell having absorbed most of the damage but not enough to keep Silcoon in the fight.

"Harold, that's enough, return for now and rest." Jacob said, recalling Harold into his ball as Jeff recalled Silcoon. "Ivan, you're up!"

Jacob called out Ivan from his ball, and he promptly growled to the crowd to try and look intimidating. As for Jeff, he sent out a surprising Pokemon that not Jacob was not expecting.

"Ditto, take to the field!" Jeff declared, sending out a pink blob-like Pokemon.

"**Ditto!"** Ditto declared as it faced off against Ivan.

"Ditto, use Transform!" Jeff ordered, and Ditto concentrated for a moment before it glowed, shape shifted, and reemerged as an exact copy of Ivan.

"Well… this is a problem Ivan." Jacob told Ivan as he faced off against himself. "Ivan, use Growl!"

"**Grrrrr." **Ivan growled, showing his fangs and glaring at his duplicate.

"Ditto, counter with your own Growl!" Jeff ordered.

"**Grrrr."** Ditto mimicked, down to the glaring eyes and fangs that Ivan did, only Ivan seemed to quiver slightly as he took one step back.

_*Dang it, I forgot about Poochyena, as soon as something fights back they tend to lose their nerves.*_ Jacob cursed to himself, forgetting the most basic rule about Poochyena battles. _*Meanwhile that Ditto doesn't lose its nerve because it's merely copying the moves and looks of the Pokemon it became, not the personality and traits belonging to the Pokemon it copies.*_

"Ivan use Bite!" Jacob ordered, trying to get Ivan back on track.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked, face determined again and charging forward with his fangs bearing down on Ditto.

"Ditto counter with tackle!" Jeff ordered, and his Ditto charged forward.

The two Pokemon met and Ivan sank his teeth into Ditto, just as Ditto slammed its head into Ivan. The winner of the fight was Ivan, whose bite caused Ditto to flinch, messing up the Tackle and throwing it off course. The two Pokemon separated and Ditto stood up shakily, trying to face Ivan for a counter attack.

"Ivan use Tackle while it's off balance!" Jacob declared.

"**Arrrrrrf!" **Ivan growled, racing forward and smacking Ditto in the side, knocking him to the ground and causing Ditto to revert back to its original form.

"Ditto return!" Jeff declared, recalling Ditto back into its ball.

"Nice job Ivan, now return and take a good rest." Jacob ordered, holding up Ivan's ball and recalling his Poochyena so he could get a well-deserved break.

"**NOW THIS IS TURNING INTO AN INTENSE YET ONE SIDED FIGHT, JEFF IS DOWN TO HIS LAST POKEMON, WHILE JACOB STILL HAS ONE IN RESERVE AND TWO STILL PRIMED AND READY TO FIGHT! WHAT WILL JEFF'S LAST POKEMON BE, AND CAN IT TURN THE TIDE OF THIS ONE SIDED MATCH?"**

Jeff smirked as he pulled out his last Pokeball and held it for a moment, before declaring in a confident and loud voice, "Take to the field, Abra!"

Jacob watched as a flash of light released a yellow, cat-like Pokemon that looked like it had some kind of body armor on its chest and a long tail. It seemed to be sleeping, but that wasn't what got Jacob surprised. It was the fact that he was fighting an Abra.

"A Psychic type, this is going to be a challenge." Jacob whispered to himself as he recalled what he knew about Abra from the Pokenet.

_*If I'm right, Abra spend all of their time sleeping to help it retain control of its telekinetic powers. Yet the only move it can use is Teleport if I'm right… so that means his plan…*_

"Sara." He said, turning to look at Sara next to him.

**(Got it…)** She said, already sensing his plan.

"**WELL THIS LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO COME DOWN TO A ONE ON ONE PSYCHIC TYPE SHOWDOWN LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! JEFF HAS BROUGHT OUT AN ABRA, A RARE SIGHT, AND JACOB COUNTERS WITH HIS OWN RALTS, AN EVEN RARER SIGHT! CAN THESE TWO PSYCHIC TYPES COUNTER EACH OTHER MOVE FOR MOVE?"**

"Sara, all this Abra knows how to do is teleport, so you'll only get one chance to score a hit before it teleports away!" He told Sara as she slowly waddled out onto the battlefield.

**(I got it… Jacob… just tell me… what to do!)** She said confidently.

Once she was ready to battle, Abra vanished without a single command from its trainer, clearly indicating that it too had a Psychic link with Jeff, just like Sara had a link with Jacob. Sara looked around silently, trying to figure out where Abra would appear. At the same time Jacob was watching out as well, looking for any sign of where Abra was teleporting to.

Sara had mastered her confusion, but because she was still a Ralts and her Psychic powers had yet to develop and manifest fully, she only had enough mental power to use two confusion attacks before she was worn out entirely. If Abra dodged them both, she was finished.

Suddenly Abra seemed to fade in directly to Sara's left. "Sara, on your left!" Jacob said, but he was too slow to call out the command before Abra once more vanished from sight.

Sara responded to the command, but at the same time responded to Jacob's feelings as she turned to her left and used a confusion attack at nothing but air where Abra had been. The attack worked, but Sara quickly clutched her head painfully for a while.

**(That… hurts…)** She moaned to him as she recovered from her own attack. **(Jacob… you don't need… to call out… where he is… just think it… I can sense… your thoughts and… feelings faster… than your words.)**

Jacob nodded and resumed searching again. Abra and his trainer were clearly aware of Sara's weakness, and knew that they had to wear her down; if she went down they'd win because none of his other Pokemon could keep up with an Abra teleporting around. He'd win through sheer exhaustion. Yet Jacob also knew that Abra was not a very resilient Pokemon, if it got hit even once it wouldn't last, so Sara had to get the next hit to get the win.

Jacob looked around for any sign of Abra appearing, and sure enough he spotted Abra rematerializing to Sara's right.

Thinking with his thoughts, he told Sara where he was and instantly Sara used her second Confusion attack, and this time it was on the mark. Abra was knocked onto its back, his head slowly shifting from side to side in confusion.

"**Abraaaaaaaaaaa…"** It groaned before its trainer recalled it.

"**AND THE WINNER IS JACOB BERYL, CONGRATULATIONS ON AN EPIC BATTLE!"** The announcer said over the megaphone as an official walked onto the stage.

Jacob shook hands with the official, thanked Jeff for a tough fight, and accepted the five hundred Pokedollars for the match. He followed the official out of the beginner's arena and back outside. For his first public match that was really serious, he and his team did very well, and they all learned from it.

Yet only one phrase crossed Jacob's mind as he held a tired and sleeping Sara in his arms. _*The training wheels have finally come off.*_


	13. Chapter 11

=Chapter 8, Inner Beauty!=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*Today was yet another interesting day, first of all my team did amazing work in our battle in the tournament, Ivan and Harold really showed their stuff, and Roran was not to be outdone during the fight, taking on two Pokemon back to back before being defeated. I'm really proud of them all and it's all thanks to your tutoring me about how to train my team. Still I can't wait for my battle with Tara, the Rustboro Gym Leader. With Harold and Ivan, and now Sara all ready, I'm confident that together we can win our first badge.*_

_*Speaking of my team, after we won the first thing we did was head over to the Pokemon Center and join up with Karen, a fellow trainer, I think I told you about her before. She's the trainer with the Zigzagoon named Ziggles, she's always itching for a Pokemon battle and really likes fighting different kinds of Pokemon, win or lose! She's one strange trainer, always hyper and never one to sit patiently and relax. Anyway, after we regrouped with her at the Pokemon Center, I handed over my team and Sara to Nurse Joy for her to take care of. I wanted Sara looked at especially because she was really exhausted from fighting Abra. She really exhausts herself when using her psychic powers, a single Confusion is enough to give her a splitting headache, which is why I'm not too keen on fighting with her in battles yet.*_

_*Yes I know what you told me, Pokemon aren't like humans, they can endure ten times more then what we could, but still she's a young Ralts Arky. Maybe I'm just being overprotective because of our psychic connection, but I really don't want to see her hurt. I wonder Arky… is this how my mom felt when she watched me leave each day when I went for my lessons with you?*_

_*This is between me and you Arky, but each night when I go to bed, whether Sara is there with me or not, I feel really lonely. All of my friends at the orphanage aren't there, you aren't there, and I don't know when I'll ever return to Littleroot again even for a short visit. Being away from home makes me realize how much I really miss you both… you and mom. I wish you were both here to help me on my journey, I feel as if I've entered a world that I can never hope to fully understand. I just wish I had someone to look over me and make sure I'm not doing something wrong…*_

(Jacob's PoV)

"You won three to one, not too shabby Jacob!" Karen said enthusiastically.

"Yea, well it's not like I can take all of the credit here, my team did a lot in our battle." Jacob said as they left the Pokemon Center for their next destination.

While he had his Pokemon treated by Nurse Joy, Jacob wrote in the book Arky gave him. He did his best to make it short and simple, but realizing that Arky was so far away made him realize how lonely he was even with his Pokemon there. He really wished he had his teacher to give him advice about what to do to prepare for his Gym match, or even just to give him some encouraging words. Still he knew that Arky would want him to not worry about the upcoming match.

After his team was taken care of, he left the Pokemon Center and met up with Karen again who had been doing some shopping. She was now sporting a set of navy blue jeans with a bright yellow tank top and a new black vest. One thing that confused Jacob was why she had purchased the exact same outfit four times.

"Because I like it and there's no reason why I can't." She replied with a smirk.

Now he and Karen were heading back to the rest area so that they could have a practice battle and eat lunch. When Jacob asked about where her tent was, she replied saying that she didn't have a tent. When he asked why she didn't, she said she had an all-weather sleeping bag and didn't need one.

"What about privacy, every trainer I've ever seen around the rest area has made fun of me for having or not sharing a tent." He asked in amazement.

"Oh I don't care about what other people say about me!" She said with a hearty slap on his back, causing Sara to clutch his shoulder for dear life as she all but knocked him down. "Let em say what they wanna say about me, I like my sleeping bag more than any tent. It's cheaper than owning a tent, its faster to set up, it's warm and comfy for me, and what's more it saves me weight to carry around on my back while walking."

"That's nice." He said as he helped Sara back onto his shoulder. "You okay Sara?"

**(She needs… to stop… doing that!)** Sara said to him as she eyed Karen with a glare.

"Sorry there Sara!" Karen said with a laugh. "I can't help it when I meet a trainer with a sweet looking Pokemon riding around on his shoulder. You're just so cute the way you hang onto his shoulder everywhere you two go!"

"Well she's not exactly the fastest of walkers." He said as Sara glared at Karen still. "So the only way she can keep up with me is if she rides on my shoulder, not that I mind, it's like having an extra pair of eyes."

They continued walking through town before they took a 'shortcut' through the grooming part of Rustboro. Along this street on both sides there were beauty salons, hair salons, massage parlors, everything and anything that had to do with grooming both humans and Pokemon. There were a ton of trainers and Pokemon walking this way and that from one salon to another, clearly wanting to take care of their Pokemon.

As they passed by the ritziest parlor on the street, a Salon that went by the name Beauté intérieure, they all gazed through the glass on the inside. The inside was massive; there was enough room for all sorts of Pokmon, even a massively tall Onyx. There were lots and lots of trainers and their Pokemon, and even non-trainers waiting in a long line.

"I wonder what they are waiting for." Jacob asked Karen as they saw the variety of Pokemon just waiting in line.

"I don't know, but if I had to guess they are probably waiting for the business owner to return if that 'Be back in Five' sign is anything to go by." Karen replied, pointing at a sign to the left of the front entrance.

**(Be back… in five?)** Sara asked Jacob, clearly confused as to what that phrase means.

"Well if I'm correct it means they'll be back in five minutes." Jacob replied.

"Actually it means be back in five days!" A familiar voice said behind them.

"Wha?" Jacob and Karen shouted in shock.

Behind them a man wearing blue striped robes and a matching design shirt and pants stood. On his head was a hat bearing the name of the Salon, and what appeared to be a picture of a Magikarp underneath it. "Who are you?" Jacob asked.

"You'll find out in a second." He said with a grin as he walked over to the door, took the sign down, and opened the double doors wide. "Hello everyone, I'm sorry about the long wait!"

"Hey its Segan, he's finally back!" A man with a Ninetales said happily.

"Segan's finally back, alright!" A woman with the Onix said.

"Hey Segan, we've been waiting for days, my Pokemon needs that Spa treatment before we go to the Pokemon contest in Slateport!" Another man said with a Flareon.

"You, my Pokemon has been waiting a month for her treatment here!" Yet another woman with a Politoad declared.

"Now now settle down, I apologize that we've been closed for so long, but rest assured our therapists and cutters and all of our facilities will be ready in just a few!" Segan said as he walked inside. "Now let me just show these two inside and I'll go open the doors. Come on in you two, there's no fee to look around."

Jacob and Karen, both stunned for words and unable to find any reason to not take a look around the most expensive Salon in the city, walked inside after Segan. The inside consisted of a single large lobby which had a dozen doors lining the walls in different intervals. What lay behind the doors they didn't know, but after a few minutes of waiting and watching Segan unlock each door and check inside, declared that 'Beauté intérieure' was officially open for business once again.

"All those with reservations please check your cards, and enter the corresponding doors." He said happily, doing a little twirl behind a desk as he flung his robes off and put them back on inside out, revealing a new design on them. "All of our employees will see you, have a WONDERFUL time here, and remember; True Beauty is on the INSIDE!"

Each of the trainers and their Pokemon and even non-trainers started walking off towards different doors. The trainer with her Onyx recalled it before heading off to one of the doors with the trainer and his Ninetales. Once they were all gone he finally approached Jacob and Karen with a smile.

"Tell me, what do you think of my Salon?" He asked.

"You own Beauté intérieure?" Karen asked in amazement. "I've only heard rumors of this place, that it's the biggest, most expensive, most amazing Beauty Salon in all of Rustboro and is ranked the fifth best Salon in all of the regions! Not to mention that it was started only several years ago, and in just ten it's become the classiest ever! You have to schedule treatments here three weeks in advance JUST to have a chance of getting a spot!"

"Well I don't know about the rest of that, but yes I am the owner of Beauté intérieure." He said with a smile. "Of course I'm only one half of the equation, the other half is my sister. She's the REAL business owner around here!"

"Ya got that right bro!" A female voice called from behind them.

Jacob turned around to see a girl wearing a business suit and hat just like Segan's. "Brother what have I told you about letting just anyone in without me?" She complained as she walked over and smacked him on the shoulder. "You opened the Salon fifteen minutes early, that's twelve times in a row! Do you know how high the bills are to run this place? Really, if it weren't for me your 'Salon' would be broke!"

"That's my sister Fera, ever the business lady of Beauté intérieure." He said with a smile. "Good to see ya sis, how'd the deal go for purchasing a new boiler for the heating system?"

"Alright I suppose, its ganna cost us a pretty penny." She said. "In any case it's lucky I called everyone in early today. I had a sneaky suspicion that you'd do something like this again. Really if I weren't here we'd be out of business."

"That's right, your business smarts and my beauty smarts make a great team!" He said happily. "Now that that's out of the way say hello to our guests, who I forgot to get the names of."

"Oh, my name is Jacob… and this is Karen… and this is Sara." Jacob said, pointing to himself first, then Karen, and finally Sara.

"Mhmm so that's your name?" Segan said with a smile as he walked behind the desk again and pulled out a suitcase. "Tell me, how's the Feebas you're taking care of, is it doing well?"

"Feebas, what Feebas?" Karen asked curiously.

"Wait… how would you know about Coral?" Jacob asked.

"Oh so you named it Coral huh, by the name I'm guessing its female, and to answer your question…" He said with a grin as he opened the suitcase, performed another twirl and pulled on a dirty looking trench coat along with a heavily patched hat. "Does this look familiar?"

Sara and Jacob gazed in amazement at the man before them. "You're the guy who gave us Coral yesterday!" He said.

"Precisely!"

"But why the disguise… and why were you selling Coral to begin with?"

"Uh… what's going on?" Karen asked in confusion.

After a few minutes of explaining what had happened the day before, they were led into a very spacious room with a small pool, comfortable chairs, a big table with adjustable head holder and leg holders, and even a mini refrigerator. Along one side of the room was another table with several bowls of colored blocks, as well as a tea tray with freshly brewed tea and cupts waiting to be served alongside a plate of crackers. There was also a desk with a mountain of paperwork and computer on it, which is where Fera sat and started reading papers and punching in numbers in a calculator.

"You see Jacob, I have a philosophy, True Beauty is Inside, and those who can understand it can bring it out!" Segan said as he put the empty briefcase down and stretched. "That's why every so often I have my sister go when she has no business things to take care of..."

"Which I always have thanks to my idiot brother!" Fera complained, though she smiled as she said so.

"And go fishing or searching for particularly unattractive Pokemon, like Feebas, but on occasion I like to go on my own to go searching!" He said happily, taking a Pokeball out and showing them. "For example, do you have a Pokedex?"

"Yea I do." Jacob said, pulling it out and showing Segan.

"Look up the Pokemon Snorunt for me please?"

Jacob did so and looked up Snorunt in the Pokedex, watched with interest by Sara, having only seen the Pokedex a few times and amazed at the wealth of Pokemon knowledge it contained for being so small. In a few seconds it showed a black, cone like Pokemon with visible white teeth and two tiny blue dots for eyes.

_[Snorunt, the Snow Hat Pokemon, __Snorunt__ tend to move about in groups of around five Snorunt. In snowy regions, it is said that when they are seen late at night, snowfall will arrive by morning.]_

Segan nodded at the information and held out the Pokeball. "That's right, not a very interesting looking Pokemon is it?" He asked them with a smile. "Not many trainers would bother with Snorunt for this reason. Yet there are quite a few who truly understand the value of such a Pokemon. As I say and say again, true beauty is on the inside. When I went searching out for Snorunt, it was only as a dare from my sister, because she wanted to get out of going looking for it, and guess what I found?"

"Uh… a Snorunt?" Karen replied.

"That's right, but also one of my closest friends I could ever hope to have." Segan said proudly. "Come on out Glace!"

He opened the Pokeball and released the Pokemon inside. **"Froslass…"** It said gracefully.

The Froslass, assuming that's what its name was, floated above the ground and was about four feet tall, had purple skin under a white kimono-like torso with a white skull-like helmet, had two 'arms' that looked like wings which ended in tiny claw-like hands, and had a red ribbon-like sash around it's waist. "Whoa, it's beautiful." Karen commented as the Froslass named Glace stared at them all before bowing respectfully to Segan.

"Hi there darling, sorry it took forever to get home." Segan said happily. "Hope you forgive me, but it was so hard trying to find a home for that Feebas my sister caught."

"**Froslass Fros…" **It said calmly, floating over to him and taking off the hat and coat.

It took the coat, folded it into a neat square, took the hat and placed them both on the table before pouring him a cup of lukewarm tea and handing it to him with a smile. "Thanks dear." He said with a smile before taking a sip.

"Wow, your Froslass is very considerate." Jacob said, admiring how the Froslass acted to its trainer.

"Yea, did you train her so she does this every time you're here with her?" Karen asked curiously.

"Glace and I have been together for quite a while, when I first met Glace she was just a Snorunt, and no I don't really train her in the sense that you would think." Segan explained as Glace started brushing his hair, using her hands to straighten it out and tidy him up. "She was always considerate of others, and when we first met I was a complete and utter mess. Not to mention on the brink of starving, I had used up all of my food trying to find where the Snorunt lived. Glace here found me long before I found any of the other Snorunt, so as repayment I offered to do anything she wanted from me. It took a while to figure out, but eventually she told me that she wanted me to capture her and take her home with me."

**(Why would… she ask that?)** Sara asked Jacob, to which Jacob translated.

"You see the other Snorunt were bullies to her and she didn't have anywhere to live where she wasn't going to be quickly evicted. She could survive yes but she was constantly pushed around because she was the weakest there. So she asked me to take her home, she promised to help me however she could, so that's how we ended up together. During the trip back we became good friends, having long conversations during cold nights as we traveled back here to Rustboro."

Glace nodded as she finished tidying up her trainer and floated back over to pour them all tea. "When we found our way back here, she found a Dawn Stone lying on the ground and used it to evolve into the amazing Froslass she is now. One thing she seems to have taken up is grooming the groomer, she always makes sure I'm presentable and looking my best in front of others. Since she evolved she's developed a basic form of telepathy and speaks only to me with it, but with her help I've been able to improve my business and really help trainers and their Pokemon out here in my Salon! It's done wonders for us here being able to communicate with Pokemon."

"She speaks through telepathy as well, that's just like you Sara." He said to his Ralts as she watched Glace float towards them, presenting them all tea.

**(Wow…)** She said.

"**Froslass lass Fros… Froslass Froslass lass lass."** Glace said, handing them their tea and floating back to Segan's side, before proceeding to lightly slap his cheek. **"Froslass lass Fros!"**

"Uh Sara, translation please?" Jacob asked.

**(She says… she is happy… to help Segan… with understanding… Pokemon.) **Sara said. **(She owes him… her life… but wishes he… would take better… care of his… hair and clothes… and stop wearing… that smelly coat.)**

Segan laughed as Jacob translated what Glace said. "You are just like my sister Glace, always hating on my sense of fashion!"

"It's not your sense of fashion we hate; it's the way you promote us that we hate!" Fera said, balling up a paper ball and tossing it at him. "We're a beauty Salon, the fifth ranked in the regions, you're supposed to look professional and like a REAL owner of this Salon. Yet what do you run around in when you decide to promote us, a smelly dirty coat and a hat made of patches? No wonder the other salons make fun of us! Not to mention you forget to take a bath when you decide to go on one of these 'crusades' of yours! Do you have any idea how much the cleaning bills are just to get rid of that stinky smell from your coat?"

"Hey now, that coat's my favorite!" Segan said, pretending to be offended. "That was the very same coat that I found Glace with. It kept us warm through the coldest of nights and dry on the harshest of thunderstorms as we traveled back here. Not to mention it covers up stains really well!"

Glace nodded in agreement at this, smiling at the dirty coat she had folded tenderly.

"All I'm saying is if you MUST wear it, CLEAN IT!" Fera groaned in annoyance, returning to her paperwork and calculations. "That's all I'm asking of you, clean that thing more than once a decade!"

"Fine I'll clean it, but only because you asked me nicely sis!" Segan said with yet another twirl, this time mirrored by Glace who twirled with him.

"I knew it; I should have stuck to being an accountant in Lillygrove, why did I have to become a business partner with my brother for his Salon?" Fera said, holding her head with one hand.

Jacob, Sara and Karen laughed a little as they watched the two siblings annoy each other, admiring them for working together even though they clearly got on each other's nerves. "So why did you bring us in here Segan?" Jacob asked at last.

"Oh yes, I brought you in here because I wanted to ask a favor or two of you." Segan said. "First of all, may I speak to your Coral? I just want to ask her a few things, and of course apologize to her."

Jacob nodded and pulled out Coral's Luxury Ball and released her into the small pool in the room. Immediately she started swimming around to look at Jacob with a happy splash attack directed at him. "Nice to see you to Coral, tell me do you recognize this guy?" Jacob asked before pointing at Segan.

"**Feebas?"** Coral asked, looking at Segan with curious eyes, which was quite a new look for her considering she always had a dimwitted expression being a Feebas.

"You remember, Mr. Salesman with the dirty coat trying to sell you to trainers?" Segan said, taking his patched hat and putting it on.

"**Feebas!"** Coral said, taking swimming start to jump out of the water and smack him in the face with her tail.

"I think I deserved that." Segan said with a small chuckle, as Glace rubbed the spot where Coral smacked him with her small hands. "In any case I hope you forgive me Coral, I just wanted to find you a good home. So tell me Coral, setting aside the fact I was selling you and letting trainers make fun of you, are you happy with Jacob?"

"**Feebas Feebas!"** Coral said happily. **"Feebas bas Fee."**

A moment of silence passed as he looked at Glace for a translation before he spoke again. "I see, so you really are happy with him, and I know it's not just the Luxury Ball." He said with another smile. "Well if he's that nice and kind of a trainer, then I know I made the right call giving him to you. Hope he treats you well and takes care of you."

"You bet I will, Feebas may not be the prettiest fish I've ever seen, but I know she's the toughest I'll ever see." Jacob said confidently. "I know I'll probably get a lot of laughs for taking care of Coral, but we'll show them wont we? We'll make all the other trainers so jealous of how tough you are, that they'll be running off in droves to find their own."

"**Feebas bas!"** Coral said happily.

**(She says… she won't… let you down.) **Sara said to him, giving him a confident nod.

"That's nice, and I wish you tons of luck in raising Coral, Feebas are particularly difficult to raise, but now that the introductions are out of the way would you mind hearing a teeny tiny request of ours?" Segan said sweetly.

"Uh… request?" Jacob asked, not liking the sound of the way it was phrased.

"What kind of request?" Karen asked this time, just as confused as Jacob was.

**(I have… a bad feeling… Jacob.)** Sara commented as Segan took his hat off and held his hands together.

"Jacob would you and your Pokemon be willing to represent Beauté intérieure in the Annual Monthly Inter-Salon Pokemon Contest today?" Segan asked politely.

"What?" Jacob declared.

"Huh?" Karen said.

**(What's a contest…?) **Sara asked, not understanding what they were all talking about.

Fera sighed and looked up from her paperwork at her brother. "Segan before you start asking the impossible; why not make sure they know what you're talking about?" She told him.

"Oh yes, I did get a little carried away didn't I sis?" Segan said, chuckling in embarrassment as Glace gave him yet another small smack to his cheek. "In any case, let me first ask, do you know about Pokemon Contests?"

"I know about contests, but didn't the Rustboro Pokemon Contest end last week?" Karen said.

"Yes, the main contest ended and all of the trainers who are competing to enter the Grand Festival have all left by now, but there are still some smaller contests held every week for those not into serious competition or who just want to show off their grooming skills and talent for raising Pokemon."Fera said as she went back to her work. "Beauté intérieure and the rest of the Salons here in Rustboro have a monthly contest to see which the best Salon is, we all pitch in about one thousand Pokedollars into a pot as a prize and it's divided among the top three winners of our contest. It's not about the money though, it's more about pride, Beauté intérieure is the fifth highest ranked in the regions yet we're never the winners of our contest."

"That's right; at the end of each year despite all of our efforts we can never take one win for our name." Segan said unhappily. "I would enter Glace here if I could, and I would lavish all of my grooming skills on her to get her ready, but she can't enter because of the restrictions placed on each Salon by the rules."

**(Restrictions?)** Sara asked curiously.

"Restrictions, the rules state that each Salon may only enter Pokemon belonging to a NON customer, and has no affiliation with the owners or employees whatsoever." Fera said this time. "Another rule states that each Salo may also only enter Pokemon Trainers, this means Coordinators and Coordinator/Trainers are not allowed. My brother constantly goes out trying to find a trainer willing to enter, and while he does find them they just never win. Mostly because the Pokemon they have don't cut it in the Pokemon Contest ring."

"You see, Pokemon Contests have five special categories for Pokemon that they can enter." Segan said. "There's Smartness, Cuteness, Coolness, Toughness, and Beauty. These are what all Pokemon entering into contests can be categorized under. Once they enter under a category they then are judged by an official and are given a certain rating based on looks, grooming, appearance, and so on. After that they appeal before the judges by performing moves, combining moves, and so on to get additional points. At the end the winner is the team that has the most points."

"I see, so that's why you want Jacob's team to enter?" Karen asked.

"That's right, you see I had sis here watch the local tournament and she happened to have spotted you among those competing in the beginners section." Segan said. "She recognized you from the descriptions I gave her about you, and phoned me about seeing you there. Which is why I started running around finding you, and when I did I invited you here, and that about catches us up!"

"Brother, you talk too much." Fera commented as she went back to work.

"Well I'd love to help you but I haven't the faintest idea of how a Pokemon Contest works, I mean what do I do first?" Jacob asked.

"First of all, let me see all of your Pokemon, I just want to make sure they'll all be qualified to enter if you do agree." Segan said.

"Okay, well you already know Sara my Ralts." Jacob said as he indicated to Sara on his shoulder. "Next I have are Harold, Ivan, Roran, and Kora, and of course Coral!"

He pulled out each of his team's Pokeballs one by one and released them to show. Once they were all out they looked around slightly confused before spotting Segan. While Harold was a bit more respectful, Ivan started growling in anger at him. "Whoa calm down Ivan, he's nice…" Jacob said, instantly reaching down and scratching Ivan's ears to calm him down.

"Hmm well your Ivan certainly is a Tough customer; he'd be a perfect contender for that category." Segan said as he looked at each of them one at a time. "Your Harold seems more along the lines of either Tough or a Cool, Roran has more of the Cool flare going for him, Kora seems to be cute but your Sara certainly has Cuteness and Smarts going for her at the moment. As for Beauty I know Coral has that in spades!"

At those last words Glace shook her head worriedly at her trainer before speaking to him through telepathy. "Now Glace I know that Coral is a beautiful Pokemon, so there is no reason why she shouldn't compete under that category!" Segan declared confidently.

"**Froslass lass Fros…"** Glace sighed before going over to eat a cracker from the tea tray.

"Uh… Sara?" Jacob asked.

**(She says… why does she… even bother?)** Sara said to him.

"Brother, you can't expect that Feebas to win in a Beauty competition!" Fera said. "For our salon's sake, don't you event think of asking Jacob to use that fish. I have a hard enough time keeping our rank and reputation in the media, don't make my job even harder by entering a Feebas in today's contest!"

"Sister you handle business stuff and leave contest decisions to me kay?" Segan said happily, electing yet another sigh from Glace as she eyed her trainer with a worried expression. "I know this time we'll win! I can feel it in my bones!"

**(Jacob… I have a bad… feeling about… this.)** Sara commented as Segan twirled yet again in excitement.


	14. Chapter 12

=Chapter 9, Contests and Contestants!=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*If there's one thing I've learned about Contests Arky, it's that they can be just as intense, if not even MORE intense, then any battle I've ever been in so far. Trainers who spend time grooming their Pokemon to look their absolute best, and perfecting their Contest Routines really go through just as much work, if not more than regular trainers who battle each other.*_

_*Earlier today I competed in the Annual Monthly Inter-Salon Pokemon Contest, and boy did Segan, the guy who gave me Coral, run me and my Pokemon through our paces. First he had my Pokemon go through a 'grooming' stage in which each of them were brushed, scrubbed, combed, puffed, trimmed, and anything else he could do to prepare them for the upcoming competition. Next he told me what categories they were being placed under during the contest, Ivan and Harold would enter the Tough Category, Sara would go for the Smart Category, Kora would go in for Cute, Coral would go for Beauty, and finally Roran would be in for Cool.*_

_*While it seemed strange to me to enter two Pokemon under the same category, Segan said it was permitted but only for one category for this particular contest. Once that was done he told us the rules about how we would go about our acts during the contest, though because it wasn't a serious Pokemon Contest, it was really only to show off the grooming skills of the Salon's owner. His Glace really helped out, and she was especially good at grooming my team herself, only surpassed by her trainer Segan. Although, like his sister Fera said, there was nothing she or Segan could do (or would I think) to make Coral look more beautiful. A Feebas can only be so attractive.*_

_*When the competition began, you could only imagine how nervous I was. Sure this wasn't as serious as the tourney I participated in earlier, but it was no less intense…*_

(Jacob's PoV)

**(So that's… the competition?)** Sara asked Jacob as they saw a group of about thirty people entering, four with the looks of official judges and the rest in pairs of trainers and the Salon owners they represented.

"Yep, I just hope we're ready for this." Jacob whispered as he watched all the Salon owners started to form a large circle in the massive lobby.

"Oh don't worry about putting on a big performance, remember this is just mostly about the grooming skills each Salon can do." Segan said confidently. "Just show off your Pokemon when the Judges come around and everything will be fine."

About two hours ago Jacob had introduced his team to Segan, and immediately afterwards he started lavishing them with his grooming skills and making them all look their absolute best. Ivan received a much needed bath, plus a shining for his fangs that made them glint like crystal daggers. Harold was given a special massage and bath to release the tension from his muscles and help him relax; it also did a number for his green tail, making it look sleek and shiny. Sara's hair was brushed a little, and Glace helped her with teaching her some very 'smart looking' poses.

Roran got a special treatment from Segan to remove any loose feathers and make them gleam with a special kind of sparkle that only made him look even cooler. After Roran was Kora, Kora needed very little work outside of giving her something to eat so she wouldn't be tempted to eat the bowls of Pokeblocks in Segan's Office.

Remembering the Pokeblocks in Segan's office, Jacob recalled asking about them.

(Flashback Hours Ago)

"No Kora, don't eat those!" Jacob yelled quickly stopping his Wurmple with the help of Harold from snacking into one of the many bowls of brightly colored cube-like candy. "It's not polite to just eat someone else's food without permission!"

Segan chuckled as he finished combing Sara's green helmet-like hair, which she was very pleased about because she also got a nice message from Glace. "You can't blame her for wanting Pokeblocks Jacob, they are absolutely delicious." He said as he eyed the squirming Wurmple, still trying to get at the bowl.

"Pokeblock's?" Jacob asked as Segan finished with Sara to let Glace continue her massage.

"That's right, Pokebocks, think of them as candy for Pokemon." Segan said as he watched Jacob step away from the bowls. "Tell me is Kora a very giggly kind of Wurmple, as in she's always laughing or happy about something, even if it's just food?"

"Yea that's Kora in a nutshell, especially when it's related to food."

"Let me see… your Wurmple seems more of the Jolly nature… so that means she'll take a fancy to this kind of Pokeblock…" Segan said to himself as he walked over to the bowls and picked up one of the Pink colored Pokeblocks. "Let me see if my theory is right!"

He tossed the Pokeblock over to Kora, who immediately snatched it out of the air and into her mouth, still in Jacob's arms. She chomped down happily and squealed in delight as she ate it.

"Yep, I was right, Pink Pokeblocks are her favorite!" Segan said.

"What are Pokeblocks?"Jacob asked as Kora looked at the Pink Pokeblock bowl now, eyeing it with eager eyes.

"Pokeblocks are, as I said, candy Pokemon food for Pokemon, whose primary purpose is to prepare for Contests." Segan said. "However for those of us who aren't serious about Pokemon Contest, they act as treats that we give our Pokemon for a good job or if we just feel like giving them a tasty snack. They shouldn't be treated as a regular diet, but they aren't unhealthy for Pokemon, seeing as they are made from Berries."

"They are made from berries?" Karen asked as she looked at all of the Pokeblocks Segan had. "How do you find the time to make so many?"

"First he makes our employees go out and find the necessary berries to make any and every kind of Pokeblock." Fera said from her corner of the office, where she was still busy with paperwork. "It's just one reason why we close for entire days, because he decides making Pokeblocks is SO important, that it requires every able-bodied employee we have here to get berries. After they bring in all of the berries they can find around Rustboro's nearby forests, he spends days grinding and spinning the berries into Pokeblocks for our customer's Pokemon. We also sell them to non-customers, such as trainers who pass by our Salon. Those Pokeblocks make up about fifteen percent of our daily income to keep things running here."

"Oh sister you treat everything I love as though it were a business!" Segan said sourly, giving his sister a joking glare that still expressed how upset he was. "Is it so hard to just let trainers have something sweet and delicious for their Pokemon for free?"

"It is when we have to pay our employee's by the clock for all the labor!" She snapped as she took another piece of paper, punched numbers into her calculator, and resumed her work without glancing at him.

Segan sighed as he turned to Jacob's Pokemon and started asking them random questions. "Harold, tell me how would you act in front of a crowd with Jacob next to you?"

"**Treecko tree…"** Harold said confidently.

Silence as Glace translated for Segan, then he said. "Oh, Bold aren't you, well how about you Roran and Ivan? Same question."

"**Tailow…" **Roran said with a sharp nod, mirrored by Ivan.

"Brave little puppy and bird aren't you?" Segan said after Glace translated. "And you Sara, how would you act with Jacob next to you in front of a big crowd?"

**(Uh… I always… keep an eye… out for danger?)** She said to Jacob so he could translate for her.

"I see… a careful Pokemon aren't you, looking out for your trainer?" He said before turning to Coral this time. "Now Coral I know you haven't known Jacob very much, but tell me how you would respond to that question?"

"**Fee… bas bas Feebas?"** Coral said from the pool.

Segan nodded as his Glace translated again. "Oh, a very modest Feebas aren't you, good to know."

"Bro, you should have opened up a daycare center instead of a Beauty Salon." Fera said with a sigh.

Segan rolled his eyes as he picked up two Red, a Yellow, a Green, and Blue Pokeblock from the different bowls and divided them among Jacob's Pokemon. Sara got the Green Pokeblock, Ivan and Roran got the Red ones, Harold got the Yellow one, and Coral received the Blue one. They all thoroughly loved the treats they got, especially Coral, who instantly changed her opinion about Segan for trying to sell her.

"I can tell just what kind of Nature a Pokemon has depending on how they act around their trainers." He explained to both Jacob and Karen. "Depending on how they act normally, they have certain berry taste preferences and can help Pokemon become stronger with their diets. That's why I need so many varieties for my Pokeblocks, so that I can satisfy any Pokemon's natural flavor preference."

"I'll repeat what I said again, brother, you should have started a daycare business instead of a Salon." Fera said in annoyance.

"Oh you're just jealous that I'm the better groomer!" Segan said as Glace floated over to him, just so they could give her a double helping of their tongues sticking out at her.

"As if!" She yelled.

"Two points for us Glace, which means tonight it's PIZZA NIGHT!" He giggled as he started spinning, mirrored by Glace who also spun around.

(Present Time)

Jacob watched as all of the trainers and their respective Salon owners that they were representing, all started spacing around the lobby in an enormous circle, with the judges standing patiently in the middle. Once they formed the circle they all started releasing their Pokemon in groups.

Guessing that he should be doing that as well, he released Harold, Ivan, Roran, Kora, and Coral from their Pokeballs and Luxury Ball to get them ready. Coral started flopping around without any water to swim in, but after a quick grab from Jacob and a few words to calm her down, she eventually stopped struggling so hard. Harold and Ivan looked around the room at all of the other Pokemon competing in the contest and put on their best tough act to make them look imposing. Roran merely glanced around before swelling his chest up to make himself look bigger. Kora merely looked around for more food, and seeing that there was none to be had, crawled up Jacob's back.

"I sure hope we do well." Jacob said as he helped Coral get a good look at the competition.

"Oh you'll do well with Sara and the others; it's your Coral I'm afraid of." Karen whispered behind him, giving her best confident grin that she could muster. "Judges aren't exactly interested in what's on the inside when it comes to Beauty contests, its more about outward appearances. The others will have to really stun them to even the odds."

"I know, I'm just worried about how my team will react if we lose." Jacob whispered as Sara looked up at him and Coral.

**(We'll be… fine Jacob!)** She said confidently. **(Everything will be… just fine… I'm sure of… it!)**

"I hope so Sara, I hope so." Jacob replied as the Judges started making their rounds while one of them stayed in the middle, holding a microphone.

"**Attention all salon owners, let me be the first to welcome to the One Hundred and Fifteenth Annual Monthly Rustboro Inter-Salon Pokemon Contest, hosted and held here at Beauté Intérieure!"** The remaining Judge declared, which received a round of applause from all of those around the room. **"We will now be going around the representing Pokemon to determine the best groomed Pokemon of all. The winning salon will, as per tradition, receive the coveted Silver Pokemon Grooming Scissor Trophy for best groomed Pokemon, as well as a whole issue of Groomers Guide to Gilded Greatness dedicated to their Salon and their efforts! Good luck to all of the competing Salons!"**

While Jacob waited for the Judges to reach him and his team, he listened in on a conversation between Segan and a rival salon owner nearby.

"Tell me Segan, did you pick a winner this time?" A woman of same size and stature said to Segan with a smug grin.

"Oh you'll see Victoria, you just wait, this time the trophy will be Beauté Intérieure's!" He said confidently.

"Like the last forty seven times you said that Segan?" She boasted with yet another grin. "I hope so Segan, for your sake I mean. You can only stay the fifth highest for so long and not wing a simple Inter Salon Contest. How long have you gone without being recognized in an official contest setting here in Rustboro?"

"Eight years and six months!" Segan said proudly.

"Well as long as you know." Victoria said with a sigh.

Jacob watched as Victoria, owner of the Vulpix Vixen Beauty Salon, walked over to her trainer just as the Judges started on his trainer. The judges were admiring her trainer's Pokemon and seemed to have scored them very well by the looks on their faces.

"So Jacob, tell me are you feeling any pressure for the competition?" Segan asked as he sauntered over to where Jacob and Karen were standing with his team getting ready.

"A little, I mean all of those Pokemon look so intimidating." He said, looking out at the various teams around the room.

"Well don't get your hopes up yet Jacob, here comes the judges!" Segan said as the judges finished with the trainer to their right and started walking over to where Jacob and Karen were standing.

"Good luck Jacob, knock em dead!" Karen said, taking a few steps back so that she wouldn't interfere with the judges.

Jacob gulped as the judges reached him and his team, and through their psychic link he could feel Sara getting more nervous by the second.

"Hello there, and what Salon are you representing?" One of the judges asked, taking out his clipboard and holding it up to start writing.

"I'm Jacob Beryl… and I'm representing Beauté Intérieure… with my team of six…" He said nervously.

"Okay, and first up for judging is the Cool Category, which Pokemon is being placed under that category?" He asked now.

"Uh, Roran is going for Coolness." Jacob said, nodding toward his Tailow who nodded confidently.

"**Tailow!"** Roran declared, spreading his wings and making them look twice as large as they really were.

"Hmmm, a very interesting Tailow you have here Jacob, very interesting indeed." The judge said, looking at Roran's feathers with great interest.

"Yes indeed, this Tailow has a great wingspan with a very sleek feather lining." A fellow judge said.

"The pose as well makes its feathers look very imposing, this is a very nice Tailow you have raised and the grooming Beauté Intérieure has done for you have been clearly done with top quality skill." The third judge said.

Roran admired the praise and basked in the compliments while the judges wrote down their remarks and scoring before he stepped back to allow both Ivan and Harold to step forward. "Harold and Ivan are being entered for the Tough Category." Jacob said as Ivan showed off his fangs to appear intimidating while Harold crossed his arms and gave a tough looking glare.

"Very nice posing from your Poochyena and Treecko Mr. Beryl, a very nice coat and fur on both of these Pokemon you have." The first judge said, writing something down as he admired Harold's and Ivan's poses.

"Indeed, they're very well raised, and I can clearly see Beauté Intérieure's grooming expertise here for your Poochyena's fur and your Treecko's skin." The second judge said.

"The teeth your Poochyena have appear razor sharp, clearly they were grinded expertly by Beauté Intérieure, and your Treecko's tail is sleek and very shiny." The third judge said in agreement.

Harold and Ivan had their moment while the judges wrote down their scoring before it was Kora's turn to show off. However it took her some time because she was still wiggling around on Jacob's back. However this made her even cuter because she wormed her way down his leg to sit in front of the judges, making them smile and giggle as she appeared before them. "Her name is Kora, and she's my Wurmple entering the Cuteness category." Jacob said.

"I can see the cuteness already from this Wurmple, and the way it acts just emphasizes that!" The first judge said with a smile.

"Yes, and the way it smiles and wiggles around is proof of that, only making it even cuter!" The second judge said with a giggle.

"The grooming done by Beauté Intérieure's groomer to its body makes it literally shine."

The judges wrote down their scoring and watched Kora worm her way back onto Jacob's back. Once she was out of the scene Sara walked forward, feeling very nervous through their psychic connection. "This is Sara, my Ralts entering the Smartness Category.

Sara watched as the judged looked at her intently and, with the help of Jacob's encouraging thoughts, did her best to calm down and put on her 'smartest' pose. "Hmmm a very intelligent looking Ralts you have, and the fact that even though it was clearly worried, you're Ralts did not remain nervous for very long, and its clearly intelligent without even asking anything." The first judge said.

"The way your Ralts's amber eyes stare show the strength of its mind, and it looks like it is thinking very deep and mindful thoughts, an image created well by Beauté Intérieure's groomer." The second judge said.

"The way the hair is brushed makes your Pokemon look like it takes its grooming very seriously, yet another compliment to Beauté Intérieure's grooming skills."

The judges made their notes and Sara was allowed to return to Jacob, who promptly picked her up and placed her on his shoulder while still holding Coral in his other arm. **(I hope… I never… do this again!) **Sara whispered to him, letting Jacob know that she felt ready to faint.

"For my final Pokemon, entering the Beauty Category is Coral my Feebas." Jacob said, taking Coral and holding her in front of the judges.

"**Feebas…"** Coral whispered, putting on her best smile.

The judges all stared at Coral with neutral looks, before they started writing on their notepads. Meanwhile all around there were a few laughs from the trainers, many of whom pointed at Jacob and Coral. "Your Feebas seems like a… interesting Pokemon to say the least, but I don't see anything 'beautiful' about it." The first judge said disappointedly.

"I'm afraid even the greatest of groomers and salons can't make a Feebas beautiful, under the best of conditions… this is without a doubt no exception to the rule." The second judge said with a shake of his head.

"I was expecting such quality from Beauté Intérieure, and while I saw superb quality from the previous entries… this one fails to meet even my lowest…" The third said, looking very unhappy with what he was saying.

The three judges all left and moved on, meanwhile behind Jacob Segan was seething with anger and silently yelling at the judges while everyone continued to laugh at Jacob and Coral.

"Those jerks wouldn't know what TRUE beauty was if it danced naked in front of them wearing neon lights!" Segan whispered only loud enough for Jacob, Karen, his Pokemon, and Glace to hear.

Glace looked at Segan with a worried look, patting his shoulder to reassure him as best she could. **"Froslass lass Fros… lass."** She said to Jacob and his friends after Segan cooled down.

**(She said… she's sorry for… everyone laughing at… you for this… Segan still doesn't… understand that it's… the judges' word… not his philosophy… that matters.)**

"It's okay Glace; I still think Coral is the best fish around even if the judges don't think she's pretty." Jacob said with a smile.

"**Feebas!"** Coral said happily.

"Let's just hope the judges feel the same way…" Karen whispered as the judges finished the next trainer and moved on to the next one.

About one hour later, the judges finished their final trainer and began talking to each other to make their final verdict. Another few minutes and nods in agreement later and one of the judges picked up the microphone and spoke up.

"**Your attention please, we have reached our verdict!"** He said. **"After careful consideration of each Pokemon attending, and taking into account the quality and care each Salon Owner has given into grooming each trainer's Pokemon, we have reached our decision! The winner of this month's Annual Inter-Salon Pokemon Contest is…"**

They all waited with bated breath as the judge deliberately built up the hype, before he declared in a loud and proud voice, **"Beauté Intérieure, for a stunning performance and winning four of the five categories with a clean sweep!"**

Everyone clapped in approval as Segan ran forward, eagerly accepted the small silver scissor trophy, and posed with Glace for a photographer. After everyone started leaving Jacob checked the time and saw it was almost time for dinner. Since he didn't have time to prepare food for his team, and as a reward for helping him win the contest for his Salon, Segan and his Froslass Glace treated him and Karen to an all you can eat pizza buffet. Afterword's they were allowed to spend the night in the Salon's guest quarters where Segan shared story after story of his adventures with Glace after she evolved for him, of all the Pokemon he groomed, all the trainers he met, and even tended to those trained by the great Pokemon Trainer who only went by the name of Red!

Soon though it was time for bed, and Jacob and his team slept soundly, proud that they had done so well for a 'not so serious' Pokemon Contest.

=12:35 AM, Rustboro Outskirts=

(Absol's PoV)

Absol followed behind Mightyena as he sniffed out the trail, confirming without a doubt that the scent was close to the city. **"Can we find it…"** She asked the hound as she looked around to make sure no trainers were sneaking up on them.

"**Will you stop pestering me; I told you I'm searching as best I can!"** He growled angrily at her, giving her a scary look. **"It doesn't help that there are THOUSANDS, upon THOUSANDS of trainers and Pokemon passing by here each and every day! It takes time finding the right scent trail out of the rest!"**

"**Yes but we've been at this for two days, Zarak will be joining us in a few minutes and we still haven't found a direct trail, what are we going to tell him?" **She asked nervously, fearing her trainer's anger if they failed yet again. **"If we can't find this trail how will we eat? We already spent our savings, and we haven't had a job in months!"**

"**Assuming we're getting paid for this… you saw how he acted toward that human; if that's how he acts I doubt we're getting paid…"** Mightyena growled in agreement, a look of worry on his face as well. **"We have food… but what about Zarak… he hasn't eaten a proper meal in days, not counting the wild berries we find…"**

"**I know, and I wish he…"** She said before the sound of Salamance approaching stopped her.

She and Mightyena watched as Salamance landed heavily before them, taking great care to let the sleeping form of their trainer land softly on the ground. Salamance glared at them with his red eyes before he spoke. **"Well?"** He asked.** "Tell me you found something, I've been flying with our trainer for two days straight around this city looking for our target. We've asked countless trainers if they've seen it, but not even a glimpse."**

"**The scent is here… but I can't pick out a distinct trail from the other scents…"** Mightyena said nervously. **"I need to sniff that cloth again… before I can distinguish it from the others… have you two found anything?"**

One look in Salamances eyes said all Absol needed to know, their trainer had not found anything from his angle.** "I worry about Zarak… our specialized diets are taking their toll on him now… he can't keep this up."** She whispered as she walked over and curled up next to him, she being the only one allowed to lie next to him because of her warm, soft, pure white fur to keep him warm at night. **"If only he would spend our money on himself more often… instead of us… we can go a few days without high grade raw meat. I don't mind eating wild Magikarp for lunch on a daily basis as long as we aren't sitting there listening to his stomach growl. Heck… I'll eat berries if I have to, I may be carnivorous but I can eat berries just like any Pokemon!"**

The other two nodded and took up their positions for the night, Salamance taking up a lot of space and acting as a shield against the wind while Mightyena dozed off on his other side. Meanwhile she remained awake, feeling more than happy to remain awake all night being nocturnal by nature, to act as lookout for dangerous Pokemon and Poachers or other Hunters, or more importantly the ones they are after.

_***If we can just do this job… we won't need to worry about him starving… just get that Pokemon… and we'll be fine.***_ She thought to herself as she watched the moon rising. _***This Sara… she had better be worth the effort!***_


	15. Chapter 13

`=Chapter 10, The Hunters Return!=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*Yesterday was an amazing day, but let me tell you I really hope I never get involved with another Pokemon Contest against my will. I tell you that was torture, not for me but my team! Sure Harold, Sara, Kora, Roran, and Ivan were all well praised and admired by the judges, but Coral was made fun of by not only trainers and salon owners but by those same judges! I don't know how much more I could take with all of the trainers insulting me and Coral.*_

_*I can see now why Fera had so much difficulty keeping her and Segan's salon's image as a very high class place. Segan may have his heart in the right place, but even Coral agrees with me, putting her in a Beauty Contest was not the wisest or smartest move we could have made. We still won, but I would not want to put Coral through that kind of abuse ever again.*_

(Jacob's PoV)

The next morning after a very well made breakfast, ordered in by Fera from the highest restaurant in town according to Karen, Jacob and his friends were preparing to leave the Salon that they had helped win the contest for the first time in a very long time. After they finished breakfast they prepared to leave the Salon to return to the Rest Area, both to help prepare for their Gym Battles and to get out of the arguing sibling's hair. Which is what he, Karen, and Sara were observing just as they were about to leave.

"Alright sis Glace and I are off for now!" Segan called out as he and his Froslass prepared to leave with empty bags for collecting berries. "We're off to Route 116 to go and find some Berry Trees. Be back in a few hours!"

"What, what do you mean you're leaving to go find Berry Trees, and don't even THINK of wearing that smelly, dirty trench coat!" Fera yelled angrily, brandishing a schedule at him from the lobby. "We've got an interview to do later today, and you need to help me shop for more shampoo and help pose for the magazine issue! Not to mention we need to make some phone calls to our big shot customers to let us use their Pokemon in the magazine issue and schedule interviews with them! And there's still that boiler you need to co-sign with me so we can purchase it and have it shipped here by the end of the year!"

"Oh you can handle all that stuff without me sis, tah taaaaah!" He giggled as he and Glace walked and floated out the front door, moving rather quickly so they could get away before Fera could catch them.

"YOU GET BACK HERE THIS ISTANT BROTHER!" She roared angrily as she raced after them, running into a full blown sprint with a clipboard in her hands. "SO HELP ME IF I CATCH YOU!

They all just stared and watched the two siblings run out of the Salon before both sighed and left as well, exhausted already from the morning. "Those two… how do they stand one another?" Jacob asked as they walked out of the Salon and made their way to the Trainer Rest Area.

"Don't know Jacob, adults can be such children sometimes!" The teen joked with a giggle from behind him. "Least we got some awesome food out of the deal. So Jacob, tell me about your adventures during the Petalburg Woods now that we have time to talk? What happened that took you so long to get through those woods; you told me that you had a reason why you were so much slower than me when to travel through them."

"Well if you really want to know, it happened after I entered the woods." He started explaining as they turned a corner and were nearing the edge of the city. "First my team and I encountered a Tailow, whom I later called Roran after Ivan decided to pick a fight with him. Soon after that we stopped to rest and eat, and that was where I 'captured' Kora, the Wurmple you saw."

"Er, what do you mean by 'capture'?" She asked, curious about why he was emphasizing that word.

**(Kora fell on… the Pokeballs after… Ivan, Harold, and… Roran surprised her!) **Sara said to Jacob, after saying it in her normal speech.

After Jacob translated, Karen burst out laughing so hard that she was clutching herself because her laughter was so painful. "You… caught a Wurple… by letting… it fall… on a spare Pokeball?" She asked, trying to breathe properly but unable to with the constant fits of laughter that kept on bubbling up, which only increased after Jacob gave his reply. "That is the most… hysterical… thing I've… ever heard of!"

Jacob and Sara both giggled as they watched Karen laugh her head off at the knowledge that he captured a Wurmple because it was hungry and he had a lot of food. "Yea well, she's quite the Wurmple thanks to all of our training, sure she's not as much of a fighter as Ivan or Harold, but she has her moments and isn't as much of a pushover as you might think."

"Oh I can't wait to see if that's true!" She said, regaining her old stance as a Trainer, eager to battle and challenge a worthy foe. "But first things first, keep going with the story, tell me what happened that made you so slow?"

"Well after that we traveled through the forest for the rest of the day, trying to find the right way through." Jacob continued as they left the city at long last, making their way toward the Rest Area. "When we couldn't after wandering for the rest of the day, we decided to make camp, but couldn't find a good spot after passing by one an hour earlier, but then we came across this break in the path that went into a small clearing, it seemed like a freshly made one so my team figured there would be a good spot to spend the night. Well we were right, it was freshly made and it was a good spot to spend the night, but we also found something that I never would have imagined me or any of my team ever seeing!"

"What was it?" Karen asked excitedly.

Jacob deliberately waited a few seconds before telling her, letting the suspense build up before announcing the epic discovery he and his team made. "We found a Legendary Pokemon, a Suicune, all injured and tired lying in a clump of bushes." He said.

"No way, really?" She asked incredulously.

"Yea, we found her all injured and tired, she was exhausted and starving." He said. "So we stayed to help her recover."

"Wow, you actually meet a legendary Pokemon and don't try to capture it?" She asked, clearly sounding thoroughly impressed by his actions. "That takes a lot of self-restraint to resist doing, any other trainer, heck even me probably, would have captured it and taken it to the Pokemon Center. Speaking of which why didn't you do that, wouldn't that have been faster?"

"Well yea but it wouldn't have been right; capturing a Suicune when it was that injured… it wouldn't have been fair."

"Okay so you found a Suicune, badly injured, starving and so on, what happened after that?" She asked now. "Obviously you decided to take care of it and treat its injuries there, but how come it took you so long?"

So Jacob explained for the next hour while they walked about how he took care of the Pokemon. First he explained about how he used every one of his potions to start healing the Suicune, then he explained what he fed it each day to help repair its body naturally, and then he described how he gave the legendary all the attention he could give it, protecting and keeping it safe from trainers and those who had injured it in the first place.

As he described that there were people who had been hunting the Suicune for months on end, chasing and injuring it twenty four seven with no rest and not letting up even after it fled from Johto to Hoenn, he saw Karen getting more and more angered. She muttered something about giving those 'people' a piece of her mind, before he continued with the story. He said that on the final night the Suicune saved him and Sara from one of the trainers hunting it, using the most powerful Hydro Pump he had seen, excluding his teacher's, an Aurora Beam, and finally a Mist it created to cover their escape. After she dropped them far away, safe and sound from all threats he and Sara collapsed from tiredness, having stayed up for a long portion of the night keeping watch.

"And in the morning, after we woke up, Sara and I found a mountain of items and food just lying next to us, right where Suicune had been standing before we fell asleep." Jacob finally said as they neared the Rest Area. "Among those items we found the Luxury Ball that Coral now sits in, after that we tried wandering around looking for Suicune, which is why it took us so long to reach Rustboro."

**(It was rather… silly to try… and find her… again.)** Sara told him after he finished his story. **(A roaming Pokemon… doesn't stay in… one place for… too long!)**

"Yea I know Sara, but still a guy can hope cant he?" He told his Ralts with a chuckle.

"Man I wish I had something like that happen to me, all I did was battle some trainers and got into a fight with a bunch of bug enthusiasts!" Karen complained as they made their way toward where he normally stayed. "So how about a short battle now that we have time to spare, I've been itching to take on your team, especially now that I've had a good look at them."

"But we just got back here!" He complained, though he should have known better when he thought about Karen's personality, she just couldn't resist the urge to have a battle.

"That means we can have a battle, besides we need to practice for our Gym match tomorrow!" She said with a grin. "Come on, Ziggles and I have been waiting for a rematch with Harold!"

"Alright, but don't expect Harold to go easy on you." Jacob said, taking a turn with Karen behind him and leaving the Rest Area just after they entered it. "He's a lot tougher this time around than before."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you two!" Karen said excitedly.

They found a nice area to have their battle, and in no time at all they started drawing a small crowd of a dozen or so other trainers from the Rest Area, who, by some means Jacob and Sara couldn't begin comprehend, seemed to sense when a battle between two equally strong trainers was about to begin. Before they began Jacob put Sara on the ground so she wouldn't get hurt if something happened.

(Song to play, Pokemon Colosseum – First Battle-)

"Alright let's get this started with a rematch!" Karen said with a grin, taking out a Pokeball and twirling it in one hand. "Ziggles, rise to the challenge!"

"Harold, you're up!" Jacob called as both trainers released their Pokemon for a rematch.

"**Zigzagoon!"** Ziggles shouted.

"**Treecko!"** Harold cried and assumed a battle stance, recognizing a battle when he saw it.

"Alright Ziggles, its time we redeem ourselves from last time!" Karen shouted as she put her game face on. "Let's show Harold and Jacob how tough we are now compared to last time. Kick things off with a Tackle Attack!"

"**Zigzagoooon!"** Ziggles roared, racing forward toward Harold at a fast pace.

"Harold lets show em what we're made of, counter with Quick Attack!" Jacob shouted.

"**Tree!"** Harold shouted, and sprinted into a Quick Attack, moving faster than Ziggles expected and smacking into him before he could connect with the Tackle.

However just like last time, Ziggles was knocked into a backflip but landed on all four, still looking fresh and ready for another round. "Ziggles, use Sand Attack!" Karen shouted.

"**Zig!"** Ziggles said, turning around and using his rear legs to kick dirt into Harold's eyes before he could react.

"Harold, try to get the dirt out quick!" Jacob said, trying to remain calm as Harold started rubbing frantically.

"Ziggles use Headbutt!"

"**Zigzagooon!"** Ziggles said, racing forward and smacking Harold with a powerful Headbutt before Harold could react quickly.

Harold was knocked back, flinching in pain as he managed to stand back up. "Harold time to take things up a notch, use Absorb!" Jacob ordered, knowing that Harold needed some energy before he became unable to battle, and Absorb was the best move he had.

"**Treecko!"** Harold shouted, running forward as his tail started glowing.

"Ziggles don't let them get the chance, counter with another Sand Attack!"

"**Zigzagooon!"** Ziggles shouted, turning around and digging with his rear legs to kick dirt into Harold's eyes, but this time Harold was able to avoid the attack and carry through with his Absorb.

Harold jumped onto Ziggles' back and wrapped his tail around him momentarily, letting the green glow wrap his opponent. In seconds Ziggles was starting to get weaker while Harold was getting stronger, thanks to Harold's Absorb taking vital nutrients that Ziggles needed to keep fighting strong.

"Ziggles get Harold off you quickly!" Karen shouted.

"**Zig…za…goon!"** Ziggles declared, after two failed attempts to rock Harold off of him, the third jolt got him off, but the damage was done, Harold had recovered much needed energy while his opponent had been drained.

"Alright Harold, give it one more Quick Attack!" Jacob called out confidently.

"Zigges, counter with Headbutt one more time!" Karen ordered.

"**Tree!"**

"**Zigzagoon!"**

Both Pokemon charged forward, but thanks to the extra stamina Harold drained from Ziggles, his Quick Attack was able to smack into Ziggles before he could use his Headbutt effectively, and as Ziggles was knocked back one last time, everyone could see that this time, he was staying down for good.

"Way to go Har…" Jacob started saying before Harold started glowing.

"Whoa…" Karen said as everyone spectating them started clapping.

Jacob realized that he was watching Harold evolving and starting to grow in size, doubling in height compared to what he was previously. After the glowing ceased Jacob saw the new Harold after his change, his tail had elongated into two leaves that became slimmer near their tips, his head now had a very long and even thinner leaf protruding and flowing behind him, his legs had gained more muscle and ended in talon-like feet to give him greater grip and a stronger jump. His arms had now developed claws and had leaf-like blades growing out of his wrists. In height he was just over two feet tall, and his skin was a slightly darker shade of his previous green, though he still retained his reddish underbelly.

"Now that's a new look… Ziggles is going to need a bit more time before he can take on Harold again." Karen remarked as she recalled Ziggles into his ball to rest.

"**Grovyle…"** Harold said, admiring his new claw-like hands as well as the leaf blades.

"Wow… Harold… look at you!" Jacob said in amazement.

**(Amazing…)** Sara said to Jacob, staring in awe at the starter's evolved form.

Harold meanwhile was getting a feel for what his new body could do; he was hopping around on first his rear legs, admiring at how much higher he could jump before landing on his hands and rolling perfectly into a standing position. As he rolled the leaves on his wrists sliced up the grass a bit, sending bits of grass into the air behind him as they were sliced cleanly and effortlessly.

Jacob pulled out his Pokedex and had it scan Harold, wanting to know more about his new form.

_[Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokemon, It is known that leaves grow out of this Pokemon's body. These leaves help obscure a Grovyle from the eyes of its enemies while it is in a thickly overgrown forest!]_

"Wow… practical and powerful." He commented as he admired his Harold's accomplishment. "Congratulations buddy on your new body!"

"**Grovyle!"** Harold said with a smile, walking to stand next to him while everyone started leaving.

"Man Jacob, you and your Pokemon are just pushing me to want to become stronger, I like that in a friend!" Karen said with a smile, walking over to Jacob and giving him yet another hearty and heavy slap to his back. "Now slow down so I can catch up!"

**(What does it… feel like… to evolve Harold?)** Sara told Jacob after she spoke it in her native language.

"Yea Harold, tell us, what does it feel like to evolve?" Jacob asked as well, after he recovered his breath from Karen slapping him.

Harold thought for a moment before he replied. **"Grovyle vyle vyle… Grovyle vyle Gro!"**

**(He says… it's like… you have all… of this energy… build up suddenly… and when you… feel it… it explodes and… makes you feel… stronger!)** Sara translated for him.

"Well I bet that means you have a bigger appetite now don't ya Harold?" Jacob asked, smiling as he realized that the battle had made him hungry as well.

"**Grovyle!"** Harold said happily, and Jacob didn't need Sara to translate that for him.

"Well I'm joining you this time; I want to show off my team as well now in a more… casual manner!" Karen said happily, giving him another slap to his back. "You don't mind do ya?"

"No… but I think my back will, if you keep hitting it enough times…" Jacob declared, hoping that she doesn't turn him into a hunchback by the end of his trainer career.

They returned to the rest area and made their camp in an area where they had plenty of space to release their Pokemon to eat. Once they had a fire going for a long enough time, Jacob began preparing stew for not only himself and his team, but also Karen and her team. According to Karen she had captured three additional Pokemon after she left Oldale Town and headed for the Rustboro Gym. She was impressed that he had gathered a total of six Pokemon to his team, one wild and five caught, so quickly after leaving Littleroot Town.

Though despite how impressed Karen was with how many Pokemon he had, it did not resolve the problem of how much food he was going to be cooking now. In total, Jacob was now preparing food for a grand total of twelve, combining Jacob and his six with Karen and her four. A lot more then he was used to feeding and preparing food for, but thanks to all of the food Suicune had left him with, he still had a fair amount to cook, and thanks to his cooking skills and lessons he was familiar with how many proportions to make for each Pokemon's dietary needs.

The only question was who were Karen's other Pokemon, all he knew about her team was that she had was a Zigzagoon named Ziggles.

"Alright team, soup's getting started so come on out!" Karen called, taking four Pokeballs from her belt and releasing all of them at once.

The first to be recognized was Ziggles, the Zigzagoon, who was still a tad wobbly from his fight but stood proud before Jacob, Sara and Harold. The next he saw was a Poochyena, female by the looks of it, who sat and started using her rear leg to scratch her ear. Third was a Shroomish, a Pokemon Jacob had seen once before in Oldale Town and on occasion in the Petalburg Woods. Finally her fourth was another Poochyena, also female by the looks of it, but was standing at attention as though expecting danger.

"Well this is my team, Shroomish I call Shrew… get it, because he's very 'shrew'?" She said, hoping to get a laugh out of him. "And these two girls are Nora and Laura, Nora is the one scratching her ear, and Laura is the one standing. Nora is very lazy and would prefer to take a nap if she could, while Laura is very hasty and wants to get things done, sorta like little old me!"

"I thought you hated Poochyena's, so why do you have two of them?" Jacob asked Karen as he eyed the two pooches.

"I don't hate them, I just hate having to battle them over and over again." She corrected him. "Besides the two came together, when I found Nora sleeping off to the side of the road, her sister Laura came out to defend her. So after Ziggles and I challenged them both to a two on one battle, I captured both. Shrew I found in the Petalburg Woods, he gave Ziggles a run for his money with a lot of stun spores, but we won and you know the rest!"

"Nice to meet you all," Jacob said to them, "I'm Jacob, Jacob Beryl from Littleroot, and this is Sara my Ralts, and Harold my newly evolved Grovyle."

"**Shroomish!"** Shrew said, giving him a short bow.

"**Arf!"** Nora barked cheerfully.

Laura stared at Jacob intently before giving him a few sniffs, and then she gave her reply. **"Arrrrr… arf!"**

"Uh… Sara?" He asked.

**(She says… you have a… funny smell… around you.)**

"Uh… what do you mean by 'funny smell'?" He asked Laura.

"**Arf arf arf… rrrrrf."** She replied.

**(She doesn't know… you just have… a smell that's… familiar but… not familiar… at the same… time.)**

"Oh who cares about smell, let's just get cooking Jacob!" Karen said. "We're all hungry, feed us!"

So Jacob fed them all, after cooking a new brand of soup to fit the more carnivorous eaters as well as preparing a special batch of soup for the mainly vegetarians, he divided the food among the various Pokemon who had separated themselves according to who they belonged to. He noticed that Ivan had made sure to position himself so he could watch Nora and Laura at the same time with a wary eye, while Laura had mirrored his actions and was giving Ivan the same look. Nora on the other hand didn't seem to care about what her sister was doing; instead she was more interested in gorging herself on the food Jacob had prepared.

**(Ivan and Laura… don't trust each… other do they?)** Sara asked him privately.

"Poochyena and Mightyena are very territorial Pokemon Sara, they live based on a pack mentality and care only for their pack." Jacob explained. "Even those that are trained by trainers still retain this trait; they think of their trainer as their Pack Leader and they view any Pokemon their trainer catches as part of 'their' pack. Any other trainer they treat as a different Pack Leader and they don't trust anyone or anything outside of their own pack."

"That pretty much sums up Laura in a nutshell." Karen said through a mouthful of soup. "She always growled and treated everyone I was near in the rest areas in the Petalburg Woods as if they were enemies. She didn't trust anyone, especially those that had Poochyena's. She's also very protective of her sister Nora, just one of the many things I love about these two!"

While they ate all of Jacob's Pokemon admired Harold's new evolved form, including Ivan who, in between glares toward Laura, admired at how much taller Harold was now. Kora though was the only one not admiring Harold, as she was busy chowing down on her food with gusto, in fact Jacob noticed that she was really focused on eating.

"Hey Kora are you okay?" Jacob asked, wondering why she was so intent on finishing her food.

Kora did not respond, instead she gobbled down the last of her food before she turned her head skyward and released a very fine String Shot. Everyone who could took a few steps back from the Wurmple as she sprayed her sticky string into the air, before it separated into even thinner, finer strands to wrap around her body in ever increasing amounts. All the while, her body was glowing.

"No way, that's your second Pokemon to evolve?" Karen said in amazement. "How do you train them, or what are you feeding them?"

"I don't know!" Jacob said as he tried to figure out how Kora could be evolving, he hadn't trained her that much despite what he said to Karen earlier.

Kora continued to send sticky strands of her String Shot into the air, only to let them land on top of her and wrap around her tightly, forming a familiar looking cocoon. When the glowing faded, Kora the Wurmple had been encompassed into a hardened shell of white, with two gentle looking eyes to see the world around her, along with special spikes poking out. **"Silcoon…"** Kora whispered happily.

"Wow… congratulations Kora." Jacob said as everyone looked at Kora's new body. "Well I guess this saves us on feeding you for a while."

Everyone on Jacob's team laughed at that remark as he took out his Pokedex to look up an explanation for why Kora evolved so fast.

_[Insect Pokemon, particularly those with evolution lines similar to caterpillar type Pokemon such as Wurmple, are able to evolve purely based on the amount of food stored in their bodies. Once they have consumed enough to last them through the transformation from first stage to final stage, these insect types wrap themselves into a hardened cocoon to undergo their metamorphosis transformation.]_

"Wow, so she evolved just because I fed her enough food?" Jacob said to himself as Kora sat there looking at them all. "Well Kora looks like you'll not be as mobile as you used to be, least until you evolve again."

"**Silcoon!"** She replied calmly.

"Man that is some food you made, you really know how to cook." Karen said, patting her stomach in contentment. "Speaking of food, can I ask you a bit of a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" Jacob replied, not sure if he can handle anymore 'favors' after the last favor he did.

"Would you mind if my team and I tagged along with you and yours?" She asked politely. "You know, we follow you and your team around wherever you go for a while? I mean since we're both taking the Pokemon League competition we both are going to head to the same Gyms, it makes perfect sense!"

"I don't mind but, why do you want to tag along with me in particular?" He said.

"Well for starters, how else am I going to figure out your secret for training your Pokemon?" She said. "You really seem to know what you're doing, and all the awesome stuff seems to happen to you, I want to be near you so I can see what happens and see all the cool stuff you'll encounter. That… and I don't know how to cook."

Jacob groaned as he faceplamed himself. "So what you're really saying is that you want to stic with me because you don't know how to cook?"

"Pretty much!" She chuckled nervously. "I can't cook to save my life, despite being a girl I just never could learn how to cook properly!"

"Alright but you need to help pay for the food, I can't afford food for both of our teams, especially if they start evolving like this all the time." He said with a sigh.

"Deal!" Karen said happily, giving him a hearty slap to his shoulder this time, which caused him to fall into the pond where Coral had just finished her lunch. "Sorry!"

Jacob sat up in the water and splurted a mouth full of water back into the pond. "She really needs to stop doing that to me as well." He said to himself as he stood up to dry himself off.

While Jacob dried himself off, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted what looked like a guy wearing a western style hat, a long flowing jacket, and special hiking boots talking to a group of trainers on the other side of pond. He was talking to them animatedly, showing them a picture and pointing at it, clearly asking them something about the picture. However they shook their heads and he nodded before they moved on.

Normally he wouldn't have made much of a deal with the man, but Jacob recognized him as someone very familiar from years ago. Just one look at that man's hat, his coat, and his face and Jacob instantly realized who he was.

A Pokemon Hunter!

"What the… what's a hunter doing here?" Jacob asked quickly, taking his team's Pokeballs out in case he had to recall them.

"Pokemon Hunter, what are you talking about?" Karen asked him as she too looked over at the man Jacob was eyeing.

"That man, he's a Pokemon Hunter, I recognize him from when I was still in Littleroot!" Jacob said.

"Jacob that's a big thing to accuse someone of, are you one hundred percent sure he's what you say he is?" She asked him seriously.

"I'm dead sure; he was stalking me for a few days when I was still learning about Pokemon from my teacher." He said, the memory of his fear of the man coming back to him.

"Alright, then let's find out why he's here before we call the cops or anything!" She said, recalling her entire team back into their balls. "If we're going to report him we need evidence, just two people saying he's a hunter won't be enough."

Jacob nodded in agreement, recalling his team into their balls as well before taking Sara and holding her in his arms for safekeeping. They walked around the camp in a wide arc to avoid catching his attention, and then quietly snuck on top of him from behind a pair of tents to eavesdrop on what he was saying to another pair of trainers.

"Have you seen the Pokemon in this picture, I'm trying to find it for a friend of mine." He said seriously. "The Pokemon goes by the name of Sara; she's a bit of a runt and only stands about one foot tall when compared to human height."

_*Sara… he's after Sara?*_ Jacob thought to himself as he listened to their reply.

"I'm not sure if I've seen her anywhere around here." A female voice said interestedly. "Anything else about her that might help us remember? I've seen too many Pokemon over the last few days to remember any one in particular."

"She's only a baby, about a little over a month old; she wouldn't be too big and would be very noticeable around these parts." He said. "Her kind is very rare around here; her species is the kind you couldn't catch around this city!"

"No I'm afraid we haven't seen any Pokemon like her that I can remember, what about you Tara?" A male voice asked.

"No I haven't seen this Sara at all since we got here a few hours ago, sorry we couldn't be of any help."

"It's no problem, thank you for helping me…" The man sighed in disbelief as the two trainers walked around the tent to leave the Rest Area. "Idiots… can't even spot a unique Pokemon like this Sara even if its dancing in front of them! What kind of trainers are they raising these days?"

The man walked through the Rest Area before stopping to talk to another pair of trainers, still being followed by Karen, Jacob and Sara. **(Jacob… this man… he feels… strange…)** Sara whispered to Jacob nervously. **(I can't… sense his… emotions at all… it's like their… being concealed! He seems… to be blocking… me!)**

Jacob nodded as he listened in on yet another conversation between the Hunter and the two trainers. "I'm looking for a Pokemon named Sara; she's only about one foot tall, very rare and hard to find around these parts, have you seen a Pokemon like that?"

"Yea we know a Pokemon like that, there's a trainer who stays here who has a Sara." One of the trainers said confidently. "She's a rare one alright; wish I had her for myself!"

"Oh you are so greedy, just be happy with the Pokemon you found!" His friend said.

"I see, thank you very much." The Hunter said calmly. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go and meet up with my friends, we have a Gym Match later today and I promised I'd let her watch me battle!"

"Good luck man!" The trainers both said before they left.

"Well at least I'm getting somewhere!" The Hunter whispered as they watched him leaving the Rest Area, heading into a nearby stretch of woods alone.

"Come on lets go after him." Karen whispered.

"Why is he after Sara?" Jacob whispered back, leaning low to follow behind Karen.

"I don't know, but we won't know if we don't follow him, come on!" She whispered back, being careful to stay at least ten feet behind him to avoid attracting attention.

"Can't we just call the police now, we have proof!" He shot back.

"No way, all we have are words, we need proof, big proof, and words mean nothing without them!" She shot back to him.

**(Jacob… I'm scared…)** Sara whispered privately.

"I know Sara, but I promise I'll keep you safe okay?" He whispered soothingly to her.

**(Okay…)** She said nervously.

They followed the hunter for a long hour as he walked through the woods, seemingly not knowing where he was going, occasionally stopping to whistle out of boredom or to sneeze. After a long time of just following him, they finally stopped near the edge of a small clearing. In the distance they could see Rustboro City about a short five minute walk from where they were hiding as they watched the Hunter stand in the middle of the clearing.

"What is he waiting for?" Karen asked quietly, eyeing the hunter with suppressed anger.

"How should I know, I only ever saw him for a few days as a kid, then he just up and left!" He replied.

They bickered for a few seconds before a loud howl went up which silenced both of them. Then from the opposite side of the clearing a Mightyena jumped into the clearing, showing its razor sharp teeth and eyeing the human standing alone. The two stared at each other before the Mightyena stepped forward and allowed him to pet it on the head.

"Good to see you again Mightyena, any luck finding a trail?" He asked it, to which it growled with a shake of its head. "I see… and where is Absol, you two were supposed to be together, so where is she?"

The Mightyena merely glared at him before blinking twice. "I see…" The Hunter said calmly, before turning around and calling out in a loud voice. "ALRIGHT COME ON OUT, WHOEVER YOU ARE!"

_*How does he know we're here?*_ Jacob thought quickly, looking over at Karen's nervous face as she too realized he was talking about them.

"I WON'T SAY IT ONE MORE TIME, COME OUT OF HIDING BEFORE MY ABSOL MAKES YOU COME OUT!" The hunter roared. "ABSOL, REVEAL YOURSELF TO MY TRACKERS!"

Behind them they heard something breathing heavily, before growling menacingly at them. They turned around and saw an Absol with pure white fur, a dark gray body, with a scythe-like tail and sickle-shaped horn staring at them menacingly. It stood about three feet tall, and extended its claws before them as a warning. Its message was clear, step forward or it strikes.

Taking the hint, Jacob stood with Karen and walked forward, the Absol still watching them calmly with its claws ready to strike. They walked toward the Hunter until they were about four feet in front of him, then they stopped because the Absol stopped.

"So a couple of kids tracked me?" The Hunter asked calmly. "I must be getting pathetic if I can't even spot two kids and a Ralts following me."

"You're a Hunter, aren't you?" Jacob asked, trying his best to remain calm as both fear and anger coursed through him.

The Hunter looked at him with a grin before his eyes narrowed in confusion. "I'm sorry have we met before?" He asked curiously. "I feel as though I've met you somewhere before…but at the same time I don't remember ever seeing you."

Before Jacob could respond he turned to his Mightyena and asked him. "Do you remember his scent?" He asked the hound.

The Mightyena growled before taking a deep sniff. After a few seconds he shook his head.

"I see, so we never met him before." The Hunter said calmly. "Well in that case this begs the question of why you are chasing me."

"Tell me why you're after Sara?" He asked boldly, clutching her close to him to keep her safe.

At the name Sara, he tensed up and stared intently at Jacob. "You know Sara?" He asked calmly. "You've seen her?"

"Seen her, you're staring right at her you monster!" Karen shouted angrily, electing a growl from the Mightyena and the Absol to move its claws closer to her.

At these words he took a look at the Ralts before chuckling. "I see… it's a mistake in identity." He said calmly. "I'm not interested or after 'your' Sara."

"Wait… you aren't?" Jacob asked suddenly.

"That's right…" He said, taking the picture from before out and showing it to them. "This is the Sara I'm after!"

They both looked at a picture of what appeared to be a Pokemon with black stripes, white and orange fur, and wore two pink ribbons around its ears with a shiny bell hanging from its neck. "That's a Growlithe…" Jacob whispered as he eyed the picture.

"That's right, the Growlithe in this picture is named Sara… and I've been hired by her owner to find her." He said calmly. "I really don't appreciate being called a 'monster' when I'm actually doing a good deed. If you must know who I am, my name is Zarak, the Pokemon Hunter. Yes I am a hunter, but I do not 'hunt' Pokemon in the term you think of. I search for wild Pokemon depending on what my client wants captured, sometimes I work for bad people, but some of my clients are just rich parents who want a particular Pokemon for their children or so."

A low growl came from the Mightyena as they talked, and Zarak nodded in understanding. "Absol, return to me girl, they're not a threat!"

The Absol nodded and pranced toward her trainer, rubbing her head lovingly against him while being careful not to hurt him with the blade on her head.

"If you're not stealing Pokemon then why are you called a Hunter?" Karen asked angrily.

"Because I sometimes have to work for less than credible people in the world, you understand that right?" He asked, now scratching his Mightyena's ears and making him close his eyes contentedly. "I found these two from such places, and because I wasn't exactly an example of a 'model citizen' at the time, I had no choice but to go on the run. Being a freelance Pokemon Hunter is the best kind of job for us, we get to live free and occasionally make money catching a Pokemon for some rich person. It's just a job, but just because my job is hunting and catching particular Pokemon, doesn't mean I'm a cruel person. Also contrary to the term, not ALL Hunters steal Pokemon.

"I apologize for making myself appear like I'm a criminal earlier, but after five days of finding no clues to where my target is, and over a month without a good meal, you get a little unrestful, you understand right?"

"I guess…" Jacob whispered, as he calmed down and decided not to mention that he was indeed familiar with Zarak.

"Okay, so you're not a bad guy, how are you able to train and raise those two so easily?" Karen asked, now that her anger had passed she was once again a trainer eager to see cool new Pokemon.

"Simple, I found Absol as an egg in the hands of a Pokemon Poacher." He said calmly, getting a happy, loving smile from the Absol as he mentioned her. "The Poacher was going to train her to hunt and kill Pokemon for their furs to sell on the Pokeblack Market. Of course I had another idea at the time, so I stole her egg and got away as the Poacher chased after us. At first I was planning on using her for another reason, but a few days later she hatched, and all those ideas were thrown out the window. I just couldn't think of letting a cute little thing like her get hurt because of me!"

"Mightyena I found as a Poochyena in an illegal fighting ring in Sinnoh." He said, and the Mightyena looked up at him with deep respect. "I snuck into the cages and broke him out; wanting to do some good for betting on something I didn't realize was illegal. They caught me and were about to put me in the ring as punishment when the Pokemon League showed up and broke the ring up. In the chaos that erupted from them appearing, Mightyena and I escaped together, and from there he's followed me wherever I went. Of course we had to escape the Pokemon League as well because I was just as guilty of that incident as the people who were doing horrible stuff in that ring."

Zarak took another Pokeball out and released another Pokemon, a blue reptile like Pokemon with two red blade-like wings that stood four feet tall. It looked at them all before looking over at Zarak with a raised eye. "It's okay Salamence, they aren't trouble makers, they were just cautious about me because I was asking the right questions." He said to the dragon. "They're a couple of kids, nothing dangerous, I just felt like showing you off to them and telling them our story."

The Salamence nodded and turned to face Jacob and Karen while Zarak explained. "Salamence I found as a Bagon, you see before I rescued Absol or Mightyena here, I first met and challenged Salamence." He said. "When I first met Salamence I was just a rash and irresponsible person, just wanting to prove how tough I was and boast it to everyone. So what better way to straighten out a rascal like me then to have me take on a Bagon in a head butt match! I don't think my skull ever recovered from the impact he had on it, but after a bit of wrestling I somehow came out on top victorious. He followed me afterwards, thinking that I would make him stronger if he stayed with me, and well you see the results now after nine years."

"My team is comprised of specialized Pokemon who perform different tasks for what we do." Zarak explained as he scratched each one. "Mightyena is our tracker; his sense of smell helps us find our target and tracks them down. Absol is our night stalker; because she's a very nocturnal Pokemon she always follows behind Mightyena and helps him track down our target silently. If we ever come across a dangerous obstacle, one that Absol and Mightyena can't overcome together, we have our powerhouse Salamence, being a dragon type means he has a lot of power behind him."

"Wow… I never thought I'd see Pokemon like…" Jacob started saying before Mightyena's ears twitched, causing him to turn to the right.

"What is it?" Zarak asked quickly.

"**Grrrrowrf!"** Mightyena barked, standing to attention and assuming a battle position, the other two followed his example and stood to the sides, Absol had her claws ready while Salamence bared his fangs in preparation.

They heard a couple of twigs snapping, rapidly approaching them as whoever or whatever was making those sounds stumbled closer. Then just as they neared the clearing, Jacob saw a patched hat over the bushes.

"HELP ME… SOMEONE!" A familiar voice called out in desperation.

"Stop its Segan!" Jacob shouted, rushing forward with Sara still in his arms and feeling worried.

Jacob and Karen ran forward and grabbed Segan as he stumbled into the clearing; his coat had gashes and cuts in it, while his clothes looked like they had seen better days. As for his hat, well Jacob guessed that it would need a few new patches for its older patches. "Segan what happened!" Karen asked, helping Segan to the ground as he gasped for breath.

"You… you've… got to help… they have her!" Segan whispered as he tried catching his breath.

"Who, who have her?" Jacob asked quickly.

"Glace… they have… they have Glace!" Segan said, looking at the through tear streaked eyes. "They have her… my poor Glace… she's been taken!"

"Who?" Zarak asked, having joined them now.

"Those Pokemon… stealing… jerks… Team… Snagem!" Segan said, having a coughing fit as he tried to calm down.


	16. Chapter 14

=Chapter 11, Rescue Mission=

=To Shatter Innocence=

(Jacob's PoV, one hour before sunset)

"So that's where they're hiding?" Jacob whispered as they took shelter behind an old bulldozer several yards away from a cave entrance.

"Ya, that's what Mightyena seems to be telling me." Zarak replied as his Mightyena gave few more sniffs before nodding confidently. "Yep, they're in there all right, the trail is fresh. We're lucky this guy that Segan got ruffed up by didn't take a shower for a week, makes him all the more easily to track."

"Speaking of Segan, do you think he'll be fine?" Karen whispered in a worried voice.

"Segan didn't look too hurt; at most he has a few bruises and cuts. It's his Froslass I'm worried about." Zarak replied.

=Several Hours Earlier=

"Segan!" Fera shouted hysterically as she watched Jacob and Karen helped an exhausted Segan limp into his Salon's office. "What happened to him?"

"I was… attacked… by a bunch of goons… Team Snagem by the looks of them!" Segan said as he took a seat in the office. "Glace and I were ambushed… near Route 116… minding our own business and picking berries."

"Where's Glace, don't tell me they…" Fera whispered worriedly before Segan nodded sadly. "Oh no… they took Glace?"

"It's all my fault…" Segan cried, holding his face with his hands as he cried angrily and sadly. "It was all my fault, I should have paid more attention to our surroundings! I should have kept a closer eye out for trouble, but I was so caught up in having fun with Glace that I didn't see them until it was too late! But then I was surrounded, they had a Primape and a Scyther on me before I could get away, there was no way I could have fought them off on my own."

"Why didn't you have Glace fight back?" Fera asked. "I know you're not a real trainer, but I know from traveling around that Froslass is a powerful Ice and Ghost type. She should have been able to take on two Pokemon Types that she's immune to!"

"She tried… but she's a grooming Froslass with absolutely no battle experience!" Segan moaned. "She tried one Blizzard, but it was absolutely useless and didn't stop them from counter attacking. One of the goons ordered his Scyther to attack with a Night Slash… it brought her down instantly…"

"But what do they want with a Froslass that only knows how to groom other Pokemon?" Karen asked now. "I mean, Team Snagem is out to steal Pokemon and sell them on the Pokeblack Market if what I hear about them is true. What good would a Froslass that only knows how to groom do them? I doubt many trainers or anyone would buy her even under the best of conditions knowing that was her only skill and knowledge."

Jacob agreed, he was worried about Glace as well, but that question was bugging him as they helped carry Segan back to his salon. He had a real grudge against Team Snagem, but he had to think logically like Arky taught him to do in any situation. "Yea, why would they want Glace in the first place?" He asked himself as Sara looked up at him from his arms.

"In any case I'm going to the police first, I'll tell them what happened and we'll start sending out search parties!" Fera said, grabbing her jacket from the chair and running out of the office, leaving Segan with Jacob, Karen, Sara, and Zarak.

They sat in silence as Segan started crying in despair. "Oh my Glace… what are they going to do to her?" He moaned more to himself. "She's a peaceful, gentle Froslass. She wouldn't hurt a Rattata, what kind of a battler would they turn her into?"

"They aren't interested in JUST Pokemon that can battle Segan." Zarak said as he held one of his Pokemon's balls in his hand. "They steal Pokemon for other reasons."

"Like what, what could Glace do for them that none of the other Pokemon here can do?" Segan asked angrily, snapping his head and glaring through his bloodshot eyes at the Hunter.

"Yea, you talk like you know what's going on?" Karen asked suspiciously.

"When you're a hunter you learn about these things." Zarak said, still eyeing the ball in his hand. "Froslass are known to be ghost types, and rarely are they seen to cry tears for any living creature. However, if they develop strong feelings for any living creature, such as their trainer, and should something sad happen to them or that trainer, the Froslass in question will cry tears."

"Yea so, what's the big deal with Froslass tears?" Karen asked.

"Froslass tears… because of the mixture of Ice and Ghost type natures with a Froslass, their tears are all frozen once they leave their eyes." Jacob replied, knowing now why Team Snagem was after Glace thanks to Arky's lessons about unique Pokemon. "Those tears become crystalized, and are almost impossible to break, and they are the highest grade and clearest quality of any crystal ever mined. That makes them exceptionally expensive to anyone in the market for Froslass Crystals, all you'd need to do is make a Froslass sad enough to cause it to cry even one or two tears, and you'd be able to sell it at a high enough price to live off of for the rest of your life."

Zarak nodded as Jacob told the reason. "That's right; they want her for her tears." He said. "If they purposefully left you in such an injured state while she was conscious, it would cause her to worry about your safety. That worry for you would lead to sadness, knowing that she failed to protect you when you needed her most would cause her to become saddened. Thus the cause for her tears if and when she sheds them."

"But Glace never cries." Segan said sadly. "I know her as the happiest ghost Pokemon that has ever been seen here in Rustboro! I've done everything to make her happy, sure she gets down or frustrated when I'm being silly and don't take things seriously, but even then she never gets sad!"

"Then that means they'll have no choice but to use her for another reason, an even more painful method that is worth just as much as a single tear of hers." Zarak said, looking in disgust as he continued to stare at the ball. "They'll rip off her skull mask, and sell it on the Pokeblack Market."

"What?!" Segan shouted.

"Yep, if they can't get her to cry, they'll rip off her skull mask to sell it." He said. "Her skull mask sells at such a high price, that it puts to shame most legendary Pokemon. Collectors of such items pay mansions for them, because almost every Froslass that passes on takes that skull mask with them, vanishing from existence. Yet if they remove the skull mask while she's still alive, the process kills her life, but leaves the mask behind."

"YOU MEAN THEY'LL KILL GLACE?!" Segan shouted, grabbing Zarak by his coat and turning him to face him. "THEY CAN'T DO THAT TO HER, SHE'S TOO…"

Segan stopped as he suffered another coughing fit again, and this gave Jacob and Karen time to put him back in his chair. "Calm down Segan we'll find where they took Glace and get her back!" Karen said soothingly, though she looked just as angry and worried as Segan did.

"Those monsters, why would they do such a thing to a gentle Pokemon like Glace?" Jacob whispered as he recalled how Glace acted around Segan, spinning with joy alongside him as they laughed at his sister.

"Segan, did you overhear them talking about anything?" Zarak asked calmly. "Anything they said that might help us find them?"

Segan took several deep breaths as he absorbed the knowledge that his Glace was nothing but a quick Pokedollar to Team Snagem. "As they left me… they talked about… taking her… with another Pokemon they took." He whispered shakily. "Something about a Growlithe… while I was lying in pain… they said they've got a Growlithe to deliver today… other than that they said nothing."

"A Growlithe huh, sounds like this Snagem Team has my target." Zarak said with a smile. "Alright since this is the best lead I've had for days, I'll help track Snagem for you and rescue Glace."

=Present Time=

"So how long are we going to wait here?" Karen said angrily. "Let's just storm in there and get Glace back!"

"Not yet, I'm waiting for Absol to return from her scouting run." Zarak said. "She can get in and out much more quietly than we could, and she would know exactly where they've taken her. Besides I've got another reason for going after this Team Snagem, I need to make sure my target is in there as well."

"Why are you referring to a Pokemon as a 'target'?" Jacob asked. "Pokemon aren't targets."

"I know, but I'm still a hunter, and my job is to find and locate Sara for her owner." He replied. "Ah here she comes!"

They watched as a blur of white silently ran toward them, keeping to the shadow to hide her fur as best as she could. Once she was close enough she jumped over the bulldozer and landed softly next to Zarak and Mightyena. **"Absol!"** She said to him.

"Alright Absol, are they in there?" Zarak asked.

"**Absol sol Ab!"** She replied with a nod.

"Okay, is our target and Glace in there as well?" Zarak asked.

"**Ab… sol Absol Ab!"** She said nervously.

"I see, so they are in there but you can't locate them?" Zarak asked. "Were there too many guards for you to slip past?"

"**Absol…"** She said sadly, nodding once again.

"Okay, and tell me did you happen to see if they had some kind of generator powering the whole thing linked to the outside?"

"**Absol!"** She replied instantly with yet another nod.

"Good then this means they have a weakness!" Zarak said confidently. "If they have some kind of generator or link for a power source out here, than we can easily sever it. Do you think you can lead Salamence to it without him being spotted?"

"**Absol… Absol?"** She replied with a look that clearly said, 'I don't know, maybe?'

"Well if this was going to be easy it wouldn't be a challenge." Zarak said with a smirk, taking a third Pokeball out from his jacket. "Okay, then we'll just have to sneak in using that plan. Salamence come on out!"

Salamence appeared and looked at Zarak for instructions.

"Okay Salamence, here's the situation, our target and another Pokemon are being held hostage inside that cave that leads to Verdanturf Town by a group named Team Snagem." He said, pointing at the cave entrance. "You're task is to follow Absol to the source of their power and sever it from the cave entrance. If I'm correct they would have a backup generator inside just in case of such an event. Be as stealthy as you can while going there, try not to get spotted and wait for my signal before you sever the link, you'll know what it is when you see it! Also make sure you DON'T accidentally cut power to the city. We're only severing power to this cave; we don't need an entire City Power outage on us!"

He turned to Absol after talking to Salamence and began giving her instructions as well. "Absol, I need you to return to the cave and help spring me and act as backup in case me and Mightyena get captured before we can reach our targets. You know the layout a bit better than we do, stay hidden and try to locate us in there. If you can't get to us find our targets and get them out, we'll find our own way out ourselves. Understood?"

"**Absol!"** She replied confidently.

"**Salamence…"** Salamence replied as well as he walked off with Absol into the darkness.

"Okay, time to put our plan to work Mightyena!" Zarak said to his last Pokemon, who nodded and ran off around the Bulldozer toward the cave.

"You two wait here and act as our backup, if something bad happens join Absol and try to help us out!" Zarak said, also taking off toward the cave after his Pokemon.

"Hey wait, why do we have to wait here?" Karen yelled but was too late to stop Zarak as he ran off into the cave. "Why are we listening to this guy, I say we go in now!"

"No, let's do what he says and wait." Jacob said calmly. "He knows what he's doing; besides our Pokemon wouldn't stand a chance in a battle against these goons. I know from experience that they are tougher than they look."

"You know a lot about Team Snagem don't you, a lot more than you let on." Karen remarked as she glanced at him. "Let me guess, past experience with em?"

"You could say that…" Jacob replied, suppressing an angry growl from deep within.

Meanwhile in his arms, Sara shivered nervously as she looked up at him from the safety of his arms. **(Jacob… are you… okay?)** She asked him privately.

"Yea why?" Jacob replied quietly.

**(You… feel… scary… very scary… I don't like… it.)**

"Sorry Sara… it's just Team Snagem brings up… some bad memories." He said, trying to calm himself down to not scare Sara.

**(Snagem took your… mother… this makes you… mad… doesn't it?)**

"Yea, a bit… they took my mom, I won't let them take anyone precious to anyone if I can stop them." He said determinedly, looking at the cave and hoping that Zarak needed their help, just to have a reason to take on Snagem since that day four years ago. He's not a master, he had yet to earn his first badge, and as far as experience was concerned he was only had over two weeks of trainer experience under his belt. Yet that did not matter at all, he was a very different person from the Snagem Raid four years ago, when all he did was run in fear.

_*You guys took my mother, now you want to take Glace from Segan? Well not if I have anything to say about it!*_

=A Froslass' Tear=

(Glace's PoV)

Glace slowly opened her eyes, feeling like she had been hit by her master's sister after she froze all of her paper work. Wearily waking herself up, she tried to use her powers to float and look around her surroundings, but before she could even sit up fully, her head hit something hard and cold above her.

She looked around, blinked several times to clear her eyes, and found herself in what appears to be some kind of cage. By the looks of it, it had no bars that she could break, and it looked fairly new. Using her hands she pulled herself toward the only side of the cage that gave her a view and tried to look around.

She was in a small darkened room where her cage sat among other cages, most of which were empty with exception to one cage directly across from her. Inside of it was a very young Growlithe with a pink ribbon around its left ear and wearing a shiny bell around its neck.

_***I know that Growlithe… that's Sara, the Growlithe that Master Segan was grooming several days ago for that rich little girl!***_ She thought worriedly. _***But why are we here… and where is Master Segan?***_

Then she thought back to her master and remembered everything that happened and how they got there, or at least until she blacked out.

=Flashback=

"Alright sis Glace and I are off for now!" Her master Segan called out as he and Glace prepared to leave with empty bags for collecting berries. "We're off to Route 116 to go and find some Berry Trees. Be back in a few hours!"

"What, what do you mean you're leaving to go find Berry Trees, and don't even THINK of wearing that smelly, dirty trench coat!" Fera, his sister yelled angrily, brandishing a schedule at them from the lobby. "We've got an interview to do later today, and you need to help me shop for more shampoo and help pose for the magazine issue! Not to mention we need to make some phone calls to our big shot customers to let us use their Pokemon in the magazine issue and schedule interviews with them! And there's still that boiler you need to co-sign with me so we can purchase it and have it shipped here by the end of the year!"

"Oh you can handle all that stuff without me sis, tah taaaaah!" He giggled as the two of them walked and floated out the front door, taking a left and quickly racing to get away from the Salon before his sister inevitably tried to spoil their fun, again.

"YOU GET BACK HERE THIS ISTANT BROTHER!" She roared angrily as she raced after them, running into a full blown sprint with a clipboard in her hands. "SO HELP ME IF I CATCH YOU!"

Glace giggled as she and her master raced down the street with his sister hot on their trail, chasing them for all she was worth to prevent them from having any fun today.

"Okay Glace, you know the drill, execute Operation: Escape Grouchy Sister!" Her master Segan said with a laugh as they came across their favorite alley that they used to lose her.

Glace nodded happily before they turned a corner down the alley and took a deep breath. Then as his sister reached the alley she turned around, and let loose with an Icy Wind. It wasn't a very powerful one; at most it just chilled Fera to the point that she stopped moving because of the sudden freezing cold during the early spring day. Once she was distracted by the cold Glace turned back around and caught up to her master as he continued to head toward their destination, Route 116. As they made their way toward their favorite Berry Tree gathering place Glace once again thought about why so many asked him about her never using her powers.

Ever since she joined Master Segan she rarely battled Pokemon, and her powers were almost never used other than so she and her master could escape from his sister to have fun from work.

**(Master Segan, may I ask you a question or two?)** She asked him as they left the city behind for the wilderness of Route 116.

"Oh Glace you really don't have to call me 'Master' all the time!" He said happily as he took a breath of fresh air. "Segan is more than sufficient, really being called 'Master' all the time makes me feel like some kind of mayor or really important person. I much prefer being called Segan. Also how many times have I told you to stop calling me 'Master', I've lost count?"

**(Six hundred and fifteen times, today.)** She said with a giggle.

"That sounds about right."

**(Yes well, Master, I just prefer to call you that!)** She said with a smile. **(So forgive me for calling you Master Segan still.)**

"Okay, now what's your question?"

**(Tell me, why do you always do this to get out of working with your sister?)**She asked him. **(Will she not just make you do more work later?)**

"Oh I know she will, but really don't worry about my dear sister. After all she still works for me, and no matter how mad she gets at me all she can do is make me do paperwork."

**(You really don't like paperwork.)**

"Of course I don't!" He said jokingly, acting as if he had been insulted. "Do you know what paperwork involves, a lot of reading, signing, organizing, and a ton of other boring stuff! If she had her way I'd being doing paperwork all day. All work and no play make Segan a dull boy! Besides do you really think I'd let her ruin my fun on the day you and I first met?"

**(If she did I'd have frozen her coffee!)** Glace replied with yet another giggle. **(You know how she gets without her coffee!)**

"Oh do I…" Segan said, before changing his voice to mirror his sister's. "Segan, Segan, where's my coffee, I can't read this exceptionally long and boring contract without at least seven cups before four in the morning!"

**(Indeed.)** Glace said happily. **(Master Segan, tell me what was your plan that you were talking about with Miss Fera? You said something about it concerning that young boy's Feebas, Coral.)**

"Oh that, well if you must know my plan was to see if he could get that Feebas to evolve." He said with a smile. "That's all; I gave him Coral because he was the first to see beyond the outside, now it's up to him to get it to realize its true potential."

**(But aren't Feebas difficult to evolve Master?)**

"Oh you bet they are, but it's up to him now, I've pointed him in the right direction, there's nothing more I can do for him." He replied with a smile.

They both gossiped until they reached their destination, a small stretch of the woods where many different types of Berry Trees grew. "Okay Glace, let's start looking for berries, you check over there and I'll check these ones here."

Glace nodded and floated over with her bag to collect berries. Many of these trees had been picked clean by trainers and Pokemon alike, probably because they had just ripened. The few berries on the path were not ready to be picked either, so she had to go deeper into the forest to find good berries.

Then she made a glorious, and tasty, discovery. A Sitrus Berry Tree and the berries were ripe and ready to be picked. **(Yay, Sitrus Berries, my favorite!)** She said happily, floating over and picking a berry to eat. **(Mmmm, sweet and sour flavoring juice, with just a hint of being bitter and perfectly dry on the outside. These are always my favorite!)**

After munching down on the berry she picked another and was about to eat it when a tap on her shoulder caused her to turn around. "I believe I said we're here to 'pick' berries, not eat them all." Segan said with a grin, reaching over and grabbing a few berries for himself. "How dare you eat Sitrus Berries without me?"

**(Sorry… but they're my favorite!)** She said happily, eating the next berry alongside her master.

They ate the berries before returning to their original task, with Segan wandering off to find some more good trees while she picked the Sitrus Berry Tree clean. A few minutes later she had a bag half full of Sitrus Berries.

**(Hmm, there's still some more room for more berries…)** She thought as she looked around for more. **(Oh, Rawst Berries!)**

She floated over to the berry tree and started picking some to go with her bag, and after she picked enough to satisfy her wants she picked some Cheri Berries, as well as a few Pecha Berries. Once she had filled her bag with enough Berries she decided it was time to find Segan again.

She returned to the main road but didn't see Segan anywhere. Guessing that maybe he was still searching for more berries she decided to search for him in the forest. Then she heard someone crying out in pain, and that someone sounded like Segan.

Dropping her bag of berries she floated to the source and saw three people, two males and a female, along with two Pokemon standing over her master as he clutched his stomach in pain and sporting several bruises and a few cuts on his clothes.

"This guy's got no Pokemon on him, you sure the info was right?" The female complained as one of the males picked up Segan.

"Yea, from I've heard he's a big fancy groomer with a pretty little Pokemon." He said as he searched Segan's dirty, slashed up coat and pulled out her Pokeball. "He's got a Pokeball on him but it's empty."

"Well if he has a Pokeball the Pokemon has to be nearby!" The girl shouted angrily. "I say we give this guy another thrashing, maybe that'll flush it out."

"My thoughts exactly." The second male said, clenching his fist and pulling his arm back to deliver a blow to her master.

"**Froslass!"** Glace screamed, pushing forward and releasing another Icy Wind, hoping to put the chill in them and drive them away from her master.

Unfortunately while her Icy Wind was effective against Fera, a girl who was a summer person and almost never wears winter clothes, and would never step near an ice cream even if it was free because it would ruin her diet, it had absolutely no effect against these thugs who were wearing their strange uniforms, each of which wore vests that had a purple hand clutching a purple Pokeball. All it did was make the Primape and Scyther turn to face her, battle stances ready.

"Hey what do you know, it showed up." The female said with a smirk. "Now that is a catch, a Froslass, boss is going to love us for this!"

"Talk later, catch it now!" The second male said, dropping her master on the ground. "Scyther, get ready!"

"**Scyther!"** The green Bug type declared, brandishing its blade-like arms in preparation for battle.

"**Froslaaaaaaaaaaaass!"** Glace screamed, taking as deep a breath as she could and using all of her power to summon forth the one attack that she figured, no Pokemon or Human could withstand, a Blizzard!

She was angry at these humans and their Pokemon, how dare they hurt her master, the one who saved her, raised her, took care of her, and gave her a home and a wonderful life? She summoned every ounce of her powers to let loose the fury of a harsh winter's storm, with chilling wind so deep it could freeze water solid. Yet she was not a fighting Pokemon, she was a grooming Pokemon that never used its powers outside of preparing cold water for hot summer days and cooling off other Ice types in the Salon, and her attack did not have the effect she figured it would have, all it did was cause the Primeape to rub his arms together and hop around to keep warm, while the humans merely closed up their vests and turned away to hold against the worst of it.

"Scyther, take it down with Night Slash!" The second human ordered.

"**Scyther Scy!" **The bug declared, its blades turning dark and rushing forward to deliver a swipe that was so powerful, it knocked her out with one strike.

The last thing she saw was Segan's face covered in bruises, trying to stand back up as she fell to the ground, before one of the thugs tossed a strange glowing purple Pokeball, and capturing her inside of it.

She remembered the feeling of being captured by a Pokeball, but this was different from when she accepted Segan's capturing of her. This was very, very different from that feeling. It felt like something was trying to twist her mind and make her forget who she thought of as her trainer. She tried to resist and break free, but she was so tired that she could not hope to free herself, so instead she focused all of her efforts on resisting that influence trying to erase her memories.

She didn't know how long she fought it, but she kept repeating the name of her master, over and over again until she finally lost consciousness.

=Present=

_***My master… is Segan, he's the one who rescued me!***_ She thought again, pushing herself into a corner of the cage and holding herself in fear. _***Oh master… please forgive me… I failed to protect you!***_

When she thought that her master was injured, perhaps even dead, she felt an emotion that she had never **once** felt in her entire life, since knowing Segan.

She felt… sad.

Sure the Snorunt bullies that made fun of her in the past had made her slightly sad, but that was nothing compared to this kind of sadness.

She was still Segan's Pokemon; she was still by all reason and logic his protector and caretaker as much as he was hers. She was supposed to protect him from dangerous Pokemon and humans, but all she did was get herself caught by them. On top of that, she let them really hurt him, and even if she somehow got away, would he be alive? Would he still want her?

_***Master… Segan… please… be alright… please!***_ She moaned to herself as she felt a tiny trickle of water, slip from her left eye and onto the floor of her cage, instantly it hardened and hit the floor with a loud thud.

=Caught=

(Jacob's PoV)

"So how long are we going to sit here Jacob?" Karen complained as they watched the cave entrance for this 'sign' that Zarak spoke of.

"I don't know, and I'm starting to get worried myself." Jacob whispered.

He was glad that he and Karen had left their backpacks and other items back at Segan's Salon. Knowing these criminals they would probably steal anything else he had that wasn't a Pokemon. Speaking of Pokemon, he and Karen had brought theirs because they assumed they would be part of this 'rescue' operation. Yet now he was wondering if Zarak just wanted them out of his way?

All he knew was that this was taking a little longer than he liked, sitting around do nothing was not what he had in mind when he thought about rescuing Glace. He continued to eye the cave entrance with Karen and Sara, so intently waiting for any sign that Zarak said he'd send if something happened.

"This is so boring, I say we go in there now!" Karen whispered.

"No, we wait here!" Jacob whispered quietly.

**(Jacob… there's someone close…)** Sara said to him.

Before Jacob could reply a hand quickly covered his mouth and turned him around, at the same time a hand caught Karen and turned her around. Both of them screamed in shock as they found Segan right behind them.

"Quiet down it's just me!" Segan said quickly, keeping his hands on their mouths to keep them quiet. "Sorry I snuck up on you, but I just couldn't take sitting at home while you three tried to rescue Glace!"

"Segan… don't… do that!" Karen whispered angrily, giving him a smack to his face. "You almost gave me a heart attack! What are you doing here?"

"I just told you, I'm here to help rescue my Glace!" Segan said seriously. "She's my friend, I'm not letting a group of thugs just have their way when her life's in danger!"

"Segan, how did you find us?" Jacob asked as he felt his and Sara's heartbeats race out of control.

"Well first of all after you left, I had to do some thinking, and left a note telling my sister where I went to search for you." Segan said. "Then I guessed where you might be going, and… well in all honesty I just found you by chance."

Segan looked over the bulldozer with them and asked about where Zarak had gotten to, to which they answered and got him caught up with Zarak's plan to rescue Glace and Sara, the Growlithe inside. "We're waiting and acting as a backup, but so far nothing's happened."

"Sara, was Segan who you were feeling?" Jacob asked Sara after he finally calmed down.

**(No…)** Sara said privately as she turned around to look behind them. **(Jacob!)**

A twig snapped behind them and they turned around to see seven members of Team Snagem surrounding them, each of whom had their Pokemon out in battle positions. "Trespassers huh?" A girl said with a Raticate in front of her. "And look at this, it's our groomer friend from before, and he brought along a kid and a trainer, and do my eyes deceive me or is that a Ralts I see in your hands?"

Jacob clutched Sara tighter as Segan stepped in front of the two of them, lightly brushing his belt with his hand as he did. "Look I'm a very well-known Pokemon Groomer and my salon is very profitable!" Segan said as he put his hands in his pocket and pulled out a flyer for his salon and a check book. "We're just here for my Pokemon, that's all we want. I'll pay whatever you want for the safe return of my Glace, any amount you want just name it! Just let me have Glace back okay? She's very important to me!"

"Raticate give this Salon Owner our answer!" She replied, and Raticate charged forward and tackled Segan in the chest.

"Gah…" Segan moaned, clutching his stomach painfully as he collapsed to the ground.

"Segan!" Karen shouted as she went to help Segan up. "How dare you attack a non-trainer with your Pokémon? You want to pick a fight, well you just picked one!"

Jacob nodded and reached for Harold's Pokeball on his belt, but for some reason they were gone, and by the look of shock on Karen's face out of the corner of her eye, the same was true for her.

The Team Snagem members all laughed as a Machoke, a Primape, another Raticate, a Dodrio, a Houndour, and a Mightyena stepped forward with either cracking knuckles or teeth exposed. "A Ralts is rare, but not a threat team!" The girl with the first Raticate said. "Alright kid, I'll be nice and make you a deal, hand over the Ralts and our Pokemon won't have to get a little rough with you."

"Not in this life!" Jacob shouted angrily, clutching Sara for all he was worth to keep her safe.

"Kid, you have one Ralts, we have seven Pokemon, I think you can see how this will end." She said with a smirk. "I'll still be nice and give you one more chance to just hand over the Ralts before we take her by force."

Karen and, with her help, Segan stood in front of him to protect Sara, but Sara however looked up at him. **(Let them… take me!)** She said.

He was about to reply but she spoke again.

**(Jacob, we don't… have a choice!)** She said determinedly. **(You can't find… the others… and we're outnumbered… they'll take me… one way or… another… I can tell… they won't let… us go easily… at least this… way… you won't get… hurt.)**

Jacob didn't want to hand over Sara, but she was right, without his Pokemon they didn't have any options against these Snagem members. He nodded in acceptance and held Sara close one last time to whisper to her. "I will rescue you Sara… I will save you!"

**(I know you… will… I believe in… you!)** She said comfortingly, rubbing his cheek with her own.

He stepped forward and placed Sara on the ground, and they all watched as she nervously walked toward the Team Snagem members. The girl nodded to one of the guys and he quickly grabbed her, not showing any of the care Jacob would have shown for her. "Smart choice kid." She said while still grinning at them. "Well I'd say that ends how nice I'll be to you. Now here's how it works, you three are going to follow us into our hideout where we'll keep you until our boss decides what to do with you!"

"Yea, after all we can't let you go back to the city to tell the cops where we are!" One of the guys said with a laugh as they were forced by the Machoke to walk toward the cave entrance which led to Verdanturf Town.

(Absol's PoV, at that exact moment)

Absol watched the group head into the cave, silently waiting for her chance to go after them, having just returned from guiding Salamence safely and secretly to where the thief-hunters were drawing they're energy.

_***Now I have to save them… wonderful!***_ She thought to herself angrily. _***Zarak told me to save him in case he and Mightyena get captured… but what about those three?***_

Once the group had gone underground, she made her move and got closer to the entrance. Once she was at the entrance she felt the wind blow ever so slightly toward her, carrying with it a scent she was only faintly familiar with. She took a sniff, and after a few seconds of trying to remember, only deduced that it was familiar but not a threat. Then she entered the cave to go after the Ralts and her friends.


	17. Chapter 15

=Chapter 12, Deep Bonds=

(Jacob's PoV)

"Take them to the holding room now." The girl said after her colleagues finished checking them while she had vanished out of sight to deposit Sara in what they called the holding pens.

"Alright turn that way!" The goon said as they walked along the dark cave tunnel, deeper and deeper off the main path to Verdanturf. "And no funny movements."

If they weren't being forced to walk at the tip of a Scyther's blade, Jacob would have been impressed that they had managed to keep this side path from the eyes of travelers. The cave on route 116 that led between Verdanturf Town and Rustboro City had been cleared many years ago by a trainer with the help of their Pokemon, however he never learned their name because he was so busy learning from Arky at the time. Since then the cave has been traveled heavily by both travelers and trainers alike. What he wondered was where were all the Whismer's that inhabited this tunnel.

However this side tunnel seemed to be newly made as the ground wasn't as smooth as the main path, and the walls were still more jagged and rough thanks to the rocky surfaces. Running along the tunnel were signs saying that the area was off limits due to cave-in risks, obviously fake to prevent wayward travelers from stumbling upon Team Snagem's hideout here.

As they continued they found tunnels that appeared to be caved in, the ceilings collapsed, but none of the lighting and wires ran close to those tunnels. Without exception all of the tunnels that acted as Team Snagem's hideout were rough and ragged, and showing clear signs of being used by them. There were some doors with labels such as 'supplies' or 'storage', and there were apparently sleeping quarters because they had designated bedding rooms with labels for 'men' and 'women' and 'officers'. Then there were some doors with labels such as 'holding pens' and 'meeting room'.

As they passed by the holding pen door the girl that took Sara walked through it and disappeared while Jacob, Karen and Segan were led off down another passageway. Finally after about ten minutes of walking one of the goons opened a door that reeked of something smelly. They were shoved in so forcefully that they landed in a crumpled heap.

"Alright sit tight kids, if you're lucky you'll get to join Team Snagem, assuming the boss likes you!" One of the goons said as he locked the three of them in a small room with a laugh. "That is IF he likes you!"

"You Snagem goons let me out of here before I give you a taste of my fist!" Karen shouted angrily as she hammered on the door with said fist. "Well this is great, we sit patiently hoping for a 'sign' from Zarak but what happens? We get snuck up on and captured by the very same Team Snagem we were trying to rescue Glace and now Sara from."

Jacob nodded in agreement, wishing he still had Sara with him so she wouldn't feel afraid. "Poor Sara… she must be terrified right now." He whispered. "She's probably surrounded by Team Snagem members who are talking about selling her to some jerk owner or something worse! Imagine how frightened she must be!"

"Poor Sara, what about the rest of our teams?" Karen shouted nervously. "I had every single one of my Pokeballs on my belt just before Snagem surrounded us back there, and when I reach for Ziggles I find none of my team there! And unless I'm mistaken you don't have any of your team either!"

"Yea where did they go?" Jacob agreed as Segan leaned on the wall opposite the door. "They didn't find anything on us after they captured us."

Karen nodded as she too remembered how they searched the two trainers for more Pokemon.

(Flashback)

"This kid's got nothing else on him!" A guy said as he checked all of Jacob's pockets for his pants and jacket. "What about the girl?"

"She aint got nothing." Another guy said after he searched her vest. "A couple Pokedollars but nothing else!"

"Alright then let's put em in the holding room until the boss decides what to do with em!"

"Wait what about this Groomer!" A third guy said, holding Segan to make sure he didn't try to fight back. "Shouldn't we check him for any Pokemon?"

"He only had the one Froslass, he aint got anything else!"

(Flashback Ends)

"Yea but who cares what they didn't find on us, all I want to know is where is my team!" Karen shouted.

(Segan's PoV)

Segan chuckled as they argued. "What's so funny Segan?" Jacob asked.

"Oh it's nothing important, just that I know where your teams are!" He said with a large grin on his face.

"Where?" Karen said.

Segan reached into his coat's pockets and pulled out four Pokeballs with one hand, and five with his other. "Right here!" He said happily.

"How did you get them?" Jacob shouted as he and Karen took back their Pokeballs from the groomer.

"Well you see it happened when those goons snuck up on us!" Segan said. "When Team Snagem surrounded us, I instantly knew that if they found you two with Pokeballs on you, then you'd lose them. So what I did was step in front of you and just ever so swiftly swipe your Pokeballs off of both your belts! Then I just played the sad, rich groomer card and pretended to try and buy our way out just to throw them off."

Karen laughed happily as she gave Segan a gentle smack to the adult's shoulder. "Segan, you are an idiot, but my favorite kind of idiot!" She said.

"Thank you my friend." He said happily as they replaced their Pokeballs back onto their belts. "Now let's get out of here and rescue my Glace and your Sara!"

They both nodded and Jacob released Harold, his Grovyle.

"Impressive, the last time I saw you Harold you were just a tad shorter!" He said with a grin. "Really I must get the recipe for whatever it is Jacob is feeding you."

"I'll share it after we get Sara and Glace out of here." Jacob said. "Harold, a group of thieves just locked us up and stole Sara and Glace from me and Segan! We need to get out of here and rescue those two!"

"**Grovyle!" **Harold said with a determined look.

(Jacob's PoV)

"On that note, break down that door with a Quick Attack!" Jacob ordered, stepping aside so that Harold had the room he needed.

"**Groooo…VYLE!"** Harold shouted as he sprinted at the door and knocked it down so hard that it fell off the hinges and smacked into the cave wall.

"Nicely done Harold!" Karen said, walking out and pulling two Pokeballs off her belt. "Now let's bring out our own trackers, Zarak's not the only trainer with a Pokemon that has a good nose!"

"Yea, this place is like a maze." Jacob said, taking out Ivan's Pokeball in understanding. "Ivan come on out!"

"Laura, Nora, rise to the challenge!" Karen said.

In three flashes of light three Poochyena's materialized. Nora, Laura and Ivan all looked round before turning to face their respective trainers. Laura and Ivan glared at each other for a moment.

"Not now you two, we need you to focus right now!" Karen said, snapping Laura back to attention.

"Yea Ivan, we're in a real pickle here." Jacob said, getting Ivan's undivided attention. "We're in an underground place created by Team Snagem, a group of criminal trainers who steal and sell Pokemon. They took Glace from Sagen and now they have Sara as well!"

At that bit of knowledge Ivan's mouth twitched to reveal his fangs. "Laura, I know you and Nora aren't the best when it comes to tracking scents, but I need you to try and remember Sara's, Jacob's Ralts, scent and help Ivan track her down." Karen said to them now. "Because wherever she is we'll find Glace and this other Pokemon that they might have, do you three think you can do that?"

"**ARF!"** All three Poochyena barked, and instantly they started sniffing to try and find Sara's scent.

As one they turned and walked down one of the rocky hallways that made up this strange hideout. Keeping Harold out of his Pokeball Jacob hoped that their escape would remain unnoticed.

At least until they find Sara and Glace and hopefully this other Pokemon.

(Sara's PoV)

Sara tried concentrating with her psychic powers to open up her cage, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't get the door to move.

It was just impossible for her, she was a small Ralts who had just lost her connection to her trainer, and the fear of what might happen to her was causing her to lose her focus. Thoughts of what happened to her mother and father flooded her mind; making her wonder if this is what happened to them.

_***Ignore them… focus… you can't stay here!***_ She thought desperately, trying to once again concentrate on the cage's door and open it. _***You need to get out… and find Jacob!***_

She concentrated, and concentrated, focusing all of her psychic energy onto the door, but at the last second her head hurt and broke her concentration, causing her to release the energy she had managed to bring to bear against the door.

Panting she sat back down on the floor of her cage and stared out of the small glass window she had. Opposite her and slightly below her was Glace, Segan's Froslass, and if being with Jacob has taught her anything, she wasn't looking in good health. She tried to communicate with Glace via telekinesis, the same she used to talk to Jacob with, but her emotions were too erratic for her to get a clear message through. All she felt was sadness and longing from the Snow Pokemon, and she could probably guess who she was longing for.

She also felt another Pokemon nearby, not belonging to Team Snagem, but also just as afraid and scared as she and Glace were.

_***I have to try… and find Jacob somehow!***_ She thought to herself, knowing that if she could somehow find Jacob with her connection to him, she could probably guide him to her. _***Assuming he's free…***_

Trying to shake the thought of what Team Snagem could have done to her trainer and his friends, Sara resumed gathering her psychic energy and trying to find her trainer now, looking for his warm, friendly, and gentle thoughts from the sea of greedy and dangerous thoughts.

(Zarak's PoV)

Zarak with his Mightyena to guide him snuck out of one of the rooms where they had spare uniforms for Snagem members. It took him some time to find one that fit, but after a quick change of clothes and stuffing his own into a bag to carry with him, had his Mightyena sniff to make sure nobody unfriendly was outside. Now that they were out he began the next part of his plan.

"Alright Mightyena, do your stuff!" Zarak said as he let his top tracker take the lead.

Mightyena growled in understanding and began listening and sniffing for whoever was in charge of this facility. **"Grrr…"** He growled, and started walking along the hallway.

Following in his tracker's footsteps Zarak moved along the hallway, pretending to know exactly where he was going. As they walked Mightyena stopped and sat down, pretending be at attention, a sign that someone was approaching.

Zarak stood and leaned against the cave wall and crossed his arms, pretending to be on watch as well as a group of Snagem members walked passed, with Jacob, Karen, and Segan in front of them at the point of a Scyther's blade arms. He noticed that they did not have Sara the Ralts with them, meaning that Snagem probably took her and any of their Pokemon from the two trainers.

_*So they got caught as well huh?*_ Zarak thought as none of the Snagem members paid him any attention. _*Well this complicates things slightly, but not to the point where I can't work. Still have to find where my target is, and now where they are keeping Glace and Sara.*_

As the group passed by Mightyena moved on, taking another route as a shadowy figure appeared from a side passage, his Absol. She nodded at him and followed behind, quiet as a stealthy Haunter.

"Absol I'm assuming you saw the kids get captured?" He asked just loud enough for her to hear him.

"**Ab!"** She said.

"Alright then the plan stays the same; I want you to follow behind em and try to rescue them." He said as a fork in the path appeared, one leading upward with a sign saying 'To Rusturf Tunnel' and the other going downward with another sign saying 'To Basement Level'. "I think I saw where they might be holding the Pokemon as well as our target, I want you to find them, break them out, and help lead them there, get our target and keep her safe while me and Mightyena give Salamence the signal. Once she's safe regroup with me and Mightyena down here to help us get out as well."

"**Ab!" **She said, and silently walked off to go after the kids.

As he and Mighyena went deeper into the cave facility that Team Snagem set up, he noticed that there weren't as many Team Snagem members here as he figured there might be. Absol had said that she couldn't get in very deep because there were too many guards for her to sneak around. Sure she had been right, but as he walked through the facility he had only seen a total of about twenty Snagem Members.

At least until he found a very modern door embedded into the rocky wall.

_*Well now, this is different.*_ He said as he walked through it into a large underground stadium large enough for Pokemon battles.

The stadium wasn't designed for many spectators, but as two Snagem members battled with a Golbat and a Yanma there was a small group of about fifteen Snagem members watching from foldable chairs on the sidelines. As he made his way around the arena, pretending to be watching the match while looking for a good seat, he looked around to see what else Snagem had.

Opposite the room there was what looked like a command center with a lot of computers and phones and even a very high tech generator with wires and cords all scattered around it, separated from the stadium by a small fiberglass wall. Among the computers in the command center was also what appeared to be a healing station, one similar to what Pokemon Centers had for trainers' Pokeballs. The computers that two Snagem technicians seemed to be working at looked like the latest models from Silph Co. while the generator had a DEVON Logo on the side.

_*I don't care how many Snagem members they have or how much they've made by stealing Pokemon and selling them off, this is way too high tech for a bunch of Pokemon thieves.*_ He thought as he found a seat close to the center to prevent anyone from investigating why he wasn't watching the match. _*This facility is too well designed, too well organized, and all this stuff is way too expensive for a bunch of Snagem goons to afford. This place looks like it was designed to house these Snagem goons for years without being detected.*_

As he pondered this Mightyena looked over at the door they had come through, making him glance over and watch as the same group that caught Jacob and his friends walk through. "Hey boss, can we have a word with ya?" A girl said, walking with the others around the stadium toward the command center.

Seeing his chance to look inconspicuous and probably find out more, he nodded to Mightyena and tilted his head toward the generator. "You know what to do." He said as his Mightyena nodded and walked around the opposite direction while he blended in with the group.

Inside the command center he saw who appeared to be the boss of Team Snagem, but he didn't look any different compared to the other members. "Yea what is it, we're about to call our contact to make sure he's on schedule." He said roughly.

"Got good news boss, we found a couple of kids and that Froslass' owner outside our hideout trying to sneak in." She said with a grin. "Got a sweet catch from em too, a Ralts!"

"A Ralts huh, now that's ganna make a bigger payout." The boss said as they all walked toward one of the computers. "Alright do we have a signal yet, I wanna make sure he's coming so he can pay us big time for what we've gotten."

"We're live boss." The technician said, standing up and letting his boss sit in the seat to talk.

As everyone crowded around the computer to see whoever they were to talk to, Zarak eyed his Mightyena slipping behind the generator and extending his claws, nodding briefly to indicate he was ready and waiting for the signal. Zarak nodded and proceeded to the nearby empty computer and grinned at his stroke of luck, because the previous technician had left camera video feeds and even power line windows active. All he had to do was a clever hacking trick, disable the camera feeds, and find the right wire for Mightyena to disconnect to signal Salamence.

Meanwhile he listened in on the conversation being had between the Snagem members and whoever they were calling. "Are you on your way?" The boss said as Zarak scanned the computer for what he wanted.

"_Of course I am on my way, what do you want?"_ A snide voice said from the computer.

"I just want to tell you that you better have a bigger payout this time, cause we got some new goods to give." The boss said with a greedy tone. "We got ourselves a Ralts and a Froslass to go along with that Growlithe we called you about a few days ago!"

"_A Froslass and a Ralts you say, my you kiddies have been busy little Combee's haven't you?"_ The voice said, obviously pleased. _"Well I'll be by within half an hour, right on schedule, have the three ready to be transported by the time I get there and if they are in good order, I'll triple your pay based on the Growlithe, and more if I deem the other two exceptional!"_

"Hang on Mr. Mask!" The girl who spoke up before interrupted. "I got a bone to pick with you, how come you guys get all the good Pokemon 'we' steal for you, and all we get are the 'rejects' you send us back?"

"_Temper my dear temper; we must learn our place when climbing the social ladder."_ The snide voice said in a tone that Zarak recognized instantly as one who placed himself in a higher class then who he spoke to. _"Really now, you and your friends are at the bottom of the pole, and considering the goods we've given you, I don't think you have a reason to complain. If you're complaining about 'rejects' that we send you, maybe you should have chosen a career that involved school instead of crime, if you didn't have a record preventing you that is."_

There was a growl of anger from the girl as the boss spoke up, still unaware as Zarak stood up, pretended to yawn and stretch his arms, making three hand gestures for Mightyena to see. "Forgive her Sir; she's just unhappy that she doesn't have any good Pokemon."

"_Yes I can hear it in her voice, now listen up, the operatives working in the Petalburg Woods have finished their tasks and are heading toward Route's 119, 114, and 109 to begin capturing operations there. Your task is to continue stealing rare and unique Pokemon in Rustboro City; as per usual we want Pokemon that have strong emotional ties to their trainers. We'll discuss further payments based on what you get the next time I call you; I'll see you in less than half amn hour!"_

There was a small beep as the line was severed and Zarak pretended to be interested in the conversation. "Are you insane or what, we just hit gold here with those three Pokemon and you want to make the guy giving us the money angry?"

"I don't care if he pays us a million Pokedollars for just a Zubat, how come we have to train our Pokemon like mad to capture the 'good ones' he wants?" She sneered angrily. "I mean we have ourselves a Froslass and a Ralts sitting upstairs, do you know what we could do with those two? Not to mention the Growlithe we're selling him, it evolves into Arcanine, do you know how much more valuable that is, and all he wants is a baby runt of a Growlithe? You know what Ralts evolves into; imagine if we had that thing's fully evolved form on our side, no trainer would stand a chance against us! And sure the Froslass isn't that strong being a groomer's Pokemon but just imagine if we trained it, that thing could put out a Charizard's flame!"

"I know it doesn't seem right, but look at what we've got by working with this guy!" The boss said. "We didn't have any of this years ago in Ore, when we were scrounging just for some of the good stuff that Cypher didn't provide us. Now we get all of this and even a payout for each Pokemon we give him!"

"Whatever, all I'm saying this is not fair, we should be stealing all those Pokemon for ourselves instead of nitpicking for what someone wants!" She said.

Suddenly the lights all went out and everything except for the computers and generator went offline.

"What happened to the power?" A voice called out.

"Who turned out the lights?" Another voice said.

"Someone get that backup generator on!" A third voice yelled.

"What's going on?" The boss said as the technicians all went to the computers, scrambling to get things working.

"It's the main power line, it's been disconnected!" One said. "We've lost all primary power, switching to the backup generator!"

In seconds all the lights turned back on.

"Bring up the feed for the main power line!" The girl said, and after a few seconds she stamped her feet in frustration. "Ugh, there's a Salamence outside and knocking trees down! It smacked the one that we were using to siphon power from the Rustboro Electrical Grid. The lights are off so I can't see clearly, but if my guess is right it belongs to a trainer and their doing some late night training!"

"If it's a Salamence we should snag it!" One of them said eagerly.

"You kidding, Salamence aren't wimps like the Froslass was, that thing is capable of ripping this place apart if we even try to fight it." The boss said. "Just leave it be for now, it and its trainer will leave eventually and then we can just repair the power line!"

"Hey what idiot was stupid enough to let their Mightyena walk around freely?" A voice shouted from the stadium. "The lazy wolf decided to scratch up the chords and slice one up."

Zarak pretended to go out and surround an apparently lazy Mightyena that was busy scratching itself with its rear leg. It was also sitting next to several chords that led toward the generator and out of the room. One of the chords had been sliced in two, clearly by its claws.

"Who owns this Mightyena?" The boss said.

"It's not mine, and I'm the only one here with one!" A guy said.

"So it's wild?" Another girl asked hopefully.

"No it's tamed, look at the way its acting around us, it's clearly been trained around humans." A third voice said.

"So who does it belong to?" The girl who was arguing before shouted. "If this isn't one of ours, and it's not one of those dorky kids' that we captured, then we have an intruder in our hideout!"

He knew that Mightyena's act would not stall for much time, and surrounded by about thirty Snagem members he stood no chance of fending them and all of their Pokemon off for any period of time. Zarak silently slipped a hand into his bag and pulled out a small white, glass flute with the image of his Absol embedded into the glass. He blew on it gently, and the only sound that came out was one that was too high pitched for the human ear to hear.

But it was plenty high enough for a certain 'Disaster Pokemon' to hear. He just hoped that she would get there fast.

The deception would only last a couple minutes, before all hell breaks loose.

(Jacob's PoV)

"This isn't right… we're going around in circles!" Jacob complained as they found themselves back at the same room they had been led to before.

"Laura, Nora, Ivan, we need to find Glace and Sara before we're found out!" Karen said desperately. "Are you three sure you're following the right scent?"

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked angrily, clearing showing his frustration and giving her a glare that said, 'I'm doing the best I can!'

However in response to that, Laura gave him a glare as well, revealing her sharp fangs and growling threateningly at him.

"Enough you guys, we're running out of time!" Jacob said as he tried to recall exactly how many paths there were in this maze and which one led toward that room that had been labeled 'Holding Pens'. "It's not their fault they can't find a thing down here Karen. Ivan, Laura, and Nora aren't trained to track to the degree we're asking of them. They aren't like Zarak's Mightyena who was trained to track all his life. What we need to do is retrace our steps and…"

Segan tapped Jacob's shoulder to get his attention. "Jacob, I believe your Harold has found our means of locating Sara and Glace!" He said with a hint of hope.

Jacob and Karen as well as the three Poochyena's turned to look at what Harold found, and it wasn't so much as 'what' he found, it was 'who' found them.

It was Zarak's Absol, silently observing them all in the cave passage with a silent expression on her face. "Hey isn't that the same Absol that Zarak trained?" Karen asked.

"Yea that is, but what is she doing here?" Jacob asked.

The Absol in question looked at them before talking to Harold in her dialect. **"Absol Ab!"**

"**Grovyle vyle vyle Gro!"**Harold replied.

"**Absol sol Absol!"**

"**Gro?"**

"**Ab."** She said with a nod before turning around and watching them all again with her eyes.

"**Grovyle!"** Harold said to them, pointing at the Absol with one hand while beckoning to them with the other.

"Harold what's up?" Jacob asked, wishing he had Sara to translate for him, he felt helpless having to guess what his Pokemon was saying. "Does she know where Sara and Glace are?"

"**Vyle!" **Harold said with a nod.

"Alright then let's get going!" Jacob told everyone, and took off after Absol with Harold leading him.

They followed Absol for several minutes before she led them down one series of passages, down another, and finally to the door they were trying to find before. Instantly Jacob turned the door knob and opened it up before dashing inside.

What he saw were two rows of cages on each side of a very long hall dug out of the cave wall. The cages closest to the door were simple metal bars on all sides with simple locks designed to hold Pokemon the size of a human. As they went further into the hall the cages became more modern, ending in complicated Silph Co. designed cages to completely isolate Pokemon in small two by five boxes with no sound influence from the outside, but still have specialized ventilation systems to keep them alive.

The sight of these cages made him sick. "Sara!" Jacob yelled out as he walked along the row, trying to find his Ralts.

"Glace!" Segan shouted hopefully.

Then he felt it, Sara probing for him and trying to connect with his mind once again. He felt her familiar presence once again brush against his mind before gripping him tightly, worry and fear coursing through her thoughts as she tried to communicate with him.

**(Jacob… help… me!)** She moaned to him.

"They're here!" Jacob said, rushing along the row toward the absolute back.

Then he found them, three occupied cages at the far back. The first one held the real life version of what Zarak had said was his 'target', a one foot tall baby Growlithe with a bell hanging from its neck and a pink ribbon around one ear. The second held an exhausted and injured Froslass, Glace, leaning on the side of her cage. Finally in the third one, above the Growlithe's cage was Sara, leaning against the window of her cage and looking at him.

"Sara!" Jacob said, looking for a way to open the cages.

"Glace!" Segan shouted, looking at his Froslass lying on her cage.

**(Jacob… get us out!) **Sara said, feebly pounding on the glass to try and break it.

"Hang on I'll find some way to break you out!" Jacob said.

He first tried to enter random numbers into the complicated locks to try and unlock it, but there was no way he could have opened the locks without guessing a million different combinations. At the same time Segan was busy trying a more direct approach, pulling out a pair of grooming scissors from his pocket and trying to stab the flexible glass of the cage in the hopes of breaking it.

"Jacob, maybe Harold can break them out!" Karen suggested as she recalled Laura and Nora back into their Pokeballs. "Good attempt you two at tracking, but for now let's give the bigger guy the room he needs to do his work."

"Good idea Karen." Jacob said, repeating he gesture and recalling Ivan into his ball. "Harold, see if you can break Sara out!"

Harold nodded as Karen, Jacob and Segan stepped back to give the grass Pokemon room, then he swung at the front of the cage with his leaf-blade like arms. The cage front was sliced in two, and another swipe from Harold's other arm broke off the front cage completely, releasing Sara from her prison.

"Sara!" Jacob said, walking forward as Harold went to work on Glace's cage next.

The Ralts jumped into his outstretched arms and curled herself in his embrace, shivering in fear as he rubbed her head. **(Jacob… I was so… scared!)** She whispered to him.

"It's okay Sara, you're safe and sound." Jacob whispered soothingly, glad to have his Pokemon safely back with him.

Meanwhile Harold had sliced Glace out of her prison and was quickly pulled into the comfort of her trainer's arms. "Glace, speak to me are you alright?" Segan asked worriedly.

Glace looked up at him with a tired eye before stretching one of her hands to touch his cheek. **"Fros… lass?" **She asked him.

"Don't worry about me I'm alright, but what about you, did they hurt you?" He asked.

She shook her head as she smiled happily, before closing her eyes and leaning in close to her master before she spoke to him again, though clearly through telepathy.

"That's good to know, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if ANYTHING happened to you Glace…" He said, rubbing his Froslass' head gently.

As she nuzzled his face back, just as lovingly, Jacob swore he saw something shiny falling from one of her eyes, before his attention was grabbed by Harold slicing free the Growlithe that Snagem had also captured. After he put Sara in her usual spot on his shoulder, he bent down and pulled out the Growlithe.

She felt warm to Jacob, but that was expected since she was a Fire Type Pokemon, so her fur would be very warm. The bell was definitely familiar as was the pink ribbon compared to the picture. The bell also had a small engraving on it, saying that its wearer's name was Sara, and she belonged to a Jessica Opulent.

"I'm guessing this is the Sara you and Zarak were looking for?" He asked the Absol that had pushed her way past Karen to look at the Growlithe in his arms.

Absol bent close to sniff the Pokemon before nodding.

=Zarak Miscalculates=

"Okay, now all we have to do is find our way out and…" Jacob started saying as all the lights went out.

"Hey what's going on?" Karen asked in the darkness.

"I think we just found out what Zarak's 'signal' was." Segan whispered quietly.

"Yea… and I think that means we need to get out of here before Snagem finds us!" Karen said as a few moments later the lights came back on.

"Alright then let's get out of here!" Jacob said. "Karen you hold the Growlithe, I can't hold her and Sara at the same time while running."

Karen nodded and took the little Growlithe in her arms before letting Harold and Absol go first toward the exit. If any of Team Snagem's Pokemon were outside, it was better to have their strongest ready to fight first, and since Harold was by far the strongest Pokemon between him and Karen, it made perfect sense to keep Harold out in case they needed to fight their way out.

Fortunately nobody was outside, and they made their way toward where they had been guided down, but just as they neared two passages, one leading up and the other down, Zarak's Absol suddenly stopped moving. Unfortunately because of her size, she took up most of the space in the passageway, so they couldn't proceed without her moving.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked as she looked down the cave passage leading downward, a look of fear on her face.

"**Absol!"** She barked, before ignoring the passage leading upward and racing down the other one.

"Hey wait up!" Karen shouted as all three of them raced after Zarak's Absol.

**(Jacob, she said… Zarak!)** Sara said to him as they followed the Absol. **(I think he's… in trouble!)**

"Karen, get Ziggles ready for a fight, I think Zarak's in need of **our** help!" Jacob relayed to his fellow trainer.

She nodded and instinctively reached for Ziggle's Pokeball on her belt while still keeping a tight hold on the Growlithe.

"I'll hold Sara for you Karen if you have to battle!" Segan shouted. "I may be a Groomer but I can easily hold two Pokemon if necessary!"

They continued to race down the passageway until they heard the distinct sounds of battle going on. The Absol apparently heard this as well and pushed faster towards a very modern looking door embedded into the rocky walls of this cave. In seconds they reached the door and it slid open to allow Absol inside, and right after her Jacob and Sara, Karen and Sara, Segan, and finally Harold.

They entered into what could only be called an underground stadium, one which Jacob would have been impressed by if there wasn't a war going on right in front of them.

"Mightyena use Shadow Ball!" Zarak called as he and his Mightyena were being pushed into a corner by no less than fifteen Pokemon and about thirty Team Snagem members.

Two Pokemon had been knocked out, their trainers quickly taking them to a healing machine on the opposite side of the room. Meanwhile the battle raged on between Snagem and the Hunter.

"**Raaaaawr!"**Mightyena roared, opening his mouth and releasing a ball of condensed dark energy toward a Primeape.

"That thing knows Shadow Ball, who is this guy?" The girl with the Raticate from before said.

"Scyther use Shadow Blade!" A guy shouted.

"**Scyther Scy!"** A Scyther screamed as it rushed forward, blade arms glowing darkly.

"Mightyena counter with Take Down!" Zarak shouted.

The two Pokemon's attacks connected, and Mightyena won handily, but the Scyther still got a good shot on him, and the Take Down had injured the wolf as well. Zarak was fighting hard, and Mightyena was desperately gasping for breath as he stood to defend his trainer from Snagem's fury. Yet despite how furious Mightyena fought, there was no way he could keep up with the remaining Pokemon, especially since now the Primeape's and Raticate's trainers ordered them onto the attack.

"Raticate, Hyper Fang!" She shouted.

"Primeape, Karate Chop!" A voice called out.

Both Pokemon charged forwards, fangs bared and arm pressed outwards. That's when Absol jumped in to defend Zarak. **"Absol!"** Absol shouted with her claws extended as she used them to swipe the Primeape down before switching into a Quick Attack, speeding toward the Raticate she knocked him back to his trainer.

"Nice timing Absol!" Zarak shouted as she took her place next to Mightyena.

"An Absol, who is this guy?" Another guy shouted.

"Hey it's those brats and that Groomer!" The guy with the Scyther shouted, making several Snagem members turn to confront them.

"Hey they're trying to take the Pokemon we stole!" The guy with a Machoke shouted. "Stop em!"

"Ziggles, Rise to the challenge!" Karen shouted as Segan relieved her of the Sara the Growlithe.

In a flash of light, Ziggles appeared besides Harold, battle stance ready as the Machoke and a Yanma turned to face them.

"Karen, Jacob, Segan, find a way to get over here so they can't surround us on one side!" Zarak shouted as Mightyena got into a stare off with Snagem's Mightyena while his Absol had her claws full with a Dodrio.

"Harold you heard him, we have to fight our way to Zarak!" Jacob called as the Machoke charged in for a Seismic Toss.

"Ziggles use Quick Attack on the Yanma!" Karen shouted, and her Zigzagoon broke into a run for the bug Pokemon.

"Harold, counter with your own Quick Attack!" Jacob ordered.

Both Pokemon countered their opponent's moves and gave them a swift strike, but the Machoke stood his ground and quickly recovered. He gripped Harold with his muscular arms and swung him into the air in a circle.

"Ziggles use Headbutt on Machoke, quickly!" Karen shouted.

"**Zigzagoon!"** Ziggles shouted before taking a running leap and smacking Machoke in the back with his head.

This hit made Machoke flinch and broke the attack just in time for Harold to break free, landing safely he gave the Machoke a swipe of his leafy arms, taking down the Machoke finally.

=A Woman's Wrath=

"Thanks for the save!" Jacob said as they and their Pokemon made their way toward Zarak, who's Pokemon were still battling furiously, now four on two.

"It's not over yet Jacob, look, reinforcements!" Segan shouted, and they watched as seven Snagem members entered the stadium, Pokeballs drawn to reinforce the defeated team members.

"There's too many of them Zarak, we can't beat them all!" Jacob said once they finally got to him, Harold and Ziggles aiding Absol and Mightyena to force back Snagem.

"Tell me something I don't know." Zarak said.

"Where's your Salamence, isn't this why you said you have him?" Karen asked as Ziggles took a Low Kick from Primeape.

"Salamence is too wide to fit in the cave entrance, and he's waiting outside for us so we can make a getaway." Zarak said grimly. "I can't call him down here to help us, I knew there were more members of Snagem but I didn't imagine there'd be this many with Pokemon!"

With the new members of Snagem's facility joining the fray, as well as their healing station to bring back their injured Pokemon, the odds were heavily stacked in their favor. Jacob and his friends knew they were outnumbered, and with only a few Pokemon strong enough to fight on equal footing, they were quickly running out of options.

After a few minutes of hard fighting to protect their trainers, Ziggles, Harold, Mightyena, and Absol were panting alongside their trainers. Meanwhile their opponents remained fresh thanks to the healing station reviving fallen Snagem Pokemon. Then the girl from before with the Raticate stepped forward, having just returned from reviving her Pokemon from the station.

"You guys are not getting out of here in one piece!" She shouted. "I'll cut you a break and make you a deal, hand over all of your Pokemon and we'll let you four leave with your clothes on your back!"

"Not a chance lady." Zarak growled, which his Mightyena and Absol matched.

"Really, you think four Pokemon can last against thirty of ours?" She said with a manic laugh. "Oh this is going to be precious, I hope we have the camera's watching this because I'll love watching this on the big screen!"

As one all of the Pokemon under Snagem's control prepared to charge at once, a ton of muscles, fangs, claws, and sheer power being brought to bear against four tired, desperate, and determined Pokemon trying to save their trainers.

That's when the door opened one more time, and Jacob saw a face he was NOT expecting to see.

Fera, in her business attire, walking into the Snagem stadium wearing her business shoes and a pair of reading glasses.

"Fera?" Segan shouted in disbelief.

"Who the heck are you?" Another female member of Snagem shouted angrily as she turned to see who had arrived.

Fera smiled calmly as she gently pushed her glasses up closer to her eyes. "My name is Fera Hazel, business associate and sister of Segan Hazel, Co-owner of the Pokemon and Human Grooming Salon: Beauté Intérieure, and Business Accountant and Manager of Finances of Beauté Intérieure." She said professionally. "I'm here to offer you a business proposition that would be in both of our interests if you complied."

"Business proposition, what are you on lady?" The same girl said hysterically.

"This isn't some boardroom meeting lady, this is Snagem's hideout!" A guy shouted. "You come in here, you better have Pokemon to give us because there aint no way you're getting out of here any other way!"

"Segan what is your sister doing here?" Karen asked as nearly all of Snagem was now busy staring at Fera in her attire in such an odd location, looking more out of place than a Chansey in a swamp.

"If I had to guess, I'd say she's rescuing us!" Segan said happily. "Yoo hoo, Sister, over here!"

Fera smiled and waved at her brother. "Brother how nice to see you, next time you leave a note don't be so vague about where you're heading, it's so hard to follow you!" She said with a happy tone.

"How in Hoenn did you find us?" Segan asked cheerfully.

"That smelly coat of yours has an odor so distinct a blind man could follow the smell to the source!" She said with an annoyed tone, pointing at his coat. "I keep telling you to get it cleaned Segan, but do you listen to me? Anyway tell me is Glace okay?"

"Oh she's fine sister, but these goons made her cry!" Segan said, throwing everyone including Snagem off at how he can have a normal conversation with his sister as if nothing was going on. "Listen we're in a tight spot here, do you think you can get us out?"

"Sure, the police should be arriving here; I gave them a call about this location five minutes ago, that gives me a bit of leeway." She said, pulling out her check book from her suit's pocket as well as a pen. "Now Snagem, here's the proposition I offer you, you release my friends and brother as well as the Pokemon you stole from them and let them all go unharmed from this point on, or I'll have to get rough with you."

"Get rough with us!?" The girl with the Raticate shouted, laughing hysterically along with her fellow Snagem members. "Do you honestly believe you're in a position to 'get rough with us'?"

"Watch out guys, she's going to lecture us into submission!" A guy shouted, pretending to read an invisible book as everyone, including their Pokemon laughed even harder.

"Oh no, don't make me read a bunch of boring numbers!" Another guy laughed.

They all kept laughing for another few minutes before the Raticate girl spoke up again. "I don't care what you say lady, we're the ones who outnumber you thirty to five!" She said. "I don't need a degree to tell me that we're the ones who can make the demands here, so why don't you just tiptoe out of here with your fancy high heels, bimbo!"

Fera slowly put the checkbook and pen back into her coat, just as her left eyelash started twitching.

"Oh no…" Segan said nervously, slowly stepping further and further away from Snagem as he possibly could get. "Snagem has no idea what horror they've awakened…"

"Segan?" Karen asked as she watched Segan backing away.

"Get back you three, recall your Pokemon back quickly!" Segan said, still holding the Growlithe Sara and his Glace in both arms. "You don't want them out for what's about to happen!"

Meanwhile, Fera was reaching into her inner pocket of her suit, and now there was a sense of anger emanating from her. "Snagem… I tried to be reasonable and logical about this, but apparently you are all undereducated dunderheads that need to be taught a lesson." She whispered, just loud enough for them all to hear. "So allow me to reacquaint you with the teachings of what the saying says, 'Anger not the Man, but the Woman behind the Man'!"

She pulled out a custom made Pokeball, almost all red but with thin gold lines around the center of it. "I thought that Salon had only one Pokemon!" A guy shouted.

"I thought so too, that groomer only ever used one!" Another guy shouted.

Fera had pulled the Pokeball and stretched it as far as her arm could go. "That's because I'm so busy with business deals and handling my brother's Salon's financial state of affairs that I almost never use my Pokemon." She said angrily. "But whenever I go out at my brother's request to go on his 'crusades' I have no choice but to battle trainers, Pokemon, and the elements in order to carry out those wishes, so it's only natural that I have my own Pokemon to defend myself!"

Jacob recalled Harold at the same time as Karen recalled Ziggles, Mightyena and Absol remained out however, backing up with their trainer and readying themselves for a battle.

"Poor Snagem… they know not what they've done!" Segan whispered as he cowered behind a crate near the stadium's edge.

Meanwhile Snagem had gathered together all of their Pokemon in front of them, forming a wall of undeniable power at the business woman before them. "You really think one Pokemon is going to take on thirty lady?" The girl with the Raticate shouted.

Fera gave one sneer at all of Snagem before she lightly juggled it into the air. "I don't think, I **know**!" She said. "You see this Pokemon is so mighty, that it can take on any NUMBER of Pokemon, especially since you just made me MAD! Now, show them your wrath Sugar!"

She reached back and tossed the Pokeball into the air, releasing the largest Pokemon Jacob had ever seen. It stood twenty feet tall, with scales bluer than the ocean's surface and harder than the strongest diamond, a mouth with four very prominent, sharp, very long fangs, several fins in the resemblance of the coral reef, and two very distinct red eyes that pierced into the gaze of every single one of Snagem's Pokemon.

Fera, had called forth, a Gyarados!

"**Raaaaaaaaaaaawr!"** Gyarados roared at the top of his lungs, and caused all of Snagem's Pokemon to back away along with their trainers.

"You're sister trained THAT?" Zarak shouted incredulously, as both Mightyena and Absol backed up behind their trainer for protection now.

"Oh Sugar!" Fera called sweetly toward the Gyarados, to which it looked down at her with a gentle, and very uncharacteristic smile. "Sugar darling, are you feeling okay? Sorry for bringing you out in this dirty cave but I just wanted to tell you something!"

It nodded in understanding, using its tail end to ever so delicately rub her hand.

"You see those meanies over there?" She said, pointing at Team Snagem with a finger. "They kidnapped poor Glace, and made her sad! They also hurt their new friends and their Pokemon, they hurt my poor brother as well, and they called me names!"

At that last bit Gyarados turned to stare at Snagem with one eye, and it was so piercing that Sara covered her eyes to shield them. Jacob couldn't blame her, he knew all about Gyarados thanks to his lessons with Arky, but he never guessed he would be seeing a live demonstration of his most famous words to him about the Pokemon.

_**(Never anger a Gyrados, especially one raised by a trainer.)**_

_*Arky… your words did not do this Pokemon Justice!*_ He thought nervously as Snagem's Pokemon started to cower before the mighty beast. _*Just its glaring eyes are enough to defeat all of us!"_

"Now Sugar… be a dear and teach those jerks a lesson they will never forget." Fera declared, pushing her glasses up and patting her Pokemon's tail end. "Start things off with Dragon Rage!"

Sugar, the Gyarados, brought its full attention to Snagem's Pokemon before releasing a powerful burst of bluish flame.

The Pokemon started running for the sides to avoid the monstrous attack, the flame was so powerful that it melted the very rock beneath the sandy surface of the stadium. Some of Snagem tried to counter attack but their attacks were so pathetic, they did not even leave the tiniest of scratches upon the Pokemon's scales.

"Now that is one heck of a Dragon Rage!" Zarak said in amazement. "That's even stronger than Salamence's!"

"That's sister's Dragon Rage for you, emphasis on rage!" Segan said, terrified as they cowered behind their crate.

"Alright Sugar, now hit them with your Hydro Pump!" Fera ordered.

Responding to the order Sugar the Gyarados took in a deep breath before expelling a powerful gush of water, so powerful that it knocked a Primeape, a Machoke, the Scyther, and three others clean off their feet and into the wall on the opposite side of the stadium. The attack was so powerful that the full force dug into the rocky formation of the wall for seven feet.

"That is one super strong Hydro Pump!" Karen admired.

"She never likes dirty things; she used that attack on me once after I came back to the Salon after three months, just to make me take a bath!" Segan complained.

Snagem and their Pokemon were clearly outmatched, despite outnumbering it thirty to one they could not defeat it! "Alright Sugar, I think they've had enough, now show them their place and bring this whole place down with a single Hyper Beam!" Fera declared in a finalizing voice.

Sugar nodded and opened its mouth wide, showing the energy being absorbed in preparation for the attack, before it expelled it in the shape of a single mighty beam! The attack tore into the roof of the cavernous stadium, breaking rock and shattering anything that wasn't strong enough to withstand such wrath.

"It's too powerful; it'll bring this whole place down on us!" A member of Snagem shouted fearfully. "Everyone recall you're Pokemon and evacuate the hideout!"

"Segan, Jacob, Karen, new guy, let's get out of here before this place comes down on us!" Fera shouted.

=Aftermath=

As Team Snagem recalled their Pokemon and ran out of the stadium opposite of the door they had all entered from, Fera recalled Sugar and escaped the hideout with the others. The stadium room collapsed behind them, and the entire cavernous tunnel complex that was Snagem's Hideout began to collapse behind them, erasing any way to get back down there.

After they exited the cave they encountered several police cars under Officer Jenny's command, and after explaining some things, left the Verdanturf Tunnel behind. At some point Zarak had slipped away and only returned after they left Officer Jenny behind.

"Alright let me see that Growlithe please?" He asked calmly as his Salamence stood behind him.

"I think we need to return her correct?" Karen said as Zarak checked the Pokemon, who happily licked Zarak's face after she woke up.

"How you slept through that racket I do not know Sara, but it's good to see you again." Zarak said gently. "Yes I need to return her, or else I won't get paid."

"Well, promise you'll take care of her?" Jacob asked as he and the Growlithe mounted Salamence.

"Believe me, it's my job, if I don't return her in good condition I will receive a mouthful that will turn your hair white!" Zarak said with a smile. "Also, a word of advice Jacob, watch yourself, just because Snagem is gone now, does not mean they won't leave you alone!"

"I know." Jacob said, watching as the dragon Pokemon took to the air and flew off into the night. "Man Sara… we haven't even had our first Gym Match!"

Sara nodded in understanding. **(This is only… going to get… crazier from… here on out!)**

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*Today was one heck of an eventful day, first I meet the same Pokemon Hunter that stalked me when I was younger, and learn that he's really a nicer trainer than he pretended. His Pokemon truly cared about him, his Absol ran to save him without any hesitation! I think they have a deep bond that I and my team have yet to achieve. It brings me hope that someday I'll achieve the same connection.*_

_*Then we join Zarak, that Hunter I spoke of, and with Karen's help and Segan tagging along, we take on a rescue operation to save first Glace, Segan's Froslass, and then Sara my Ralts, along with another Sara, a Growlithe. They were captured by Team Snagem, the same goons that… well you know.*_

_*After we rescued them all, we had to fight out way out of a Snagem stadium where Zarak had been cornered. We tried our best but we couldn't take on so many Pokemon that were being healed as fast as we could knock them out! That's when things got even crazier with Fera, Sagen's sister showing up.*_

_*I tell you Arky, I never imagined I'd see a Gyarados so strong or so ferocious. Fera says Sugar, her Gyarados, is as gentle as a well fed Snorlax most of the time, but I saw how angry he got when Snagem made fun of his trainer. Why she named him Sugar, or how he accepted it without a fight, I do not know!*_

_*And to think… tomorrow is my first Gym Match… how much crazier can this journey get?*_

=Meanwhile near Verdanturf Town on the opposite side of Rusturf Tunnel=

(Snagem Member's PoV)

"So let me get this straight, you had a Froslass, a Growlithe, and a Ralts in your custody and you just let them, and their owners get away?" Masquerade, the one paying them declared in a cynical voice. "Not only that but you also let them destroy half a million Pokedollar's worth of time, equipment, and planning for that Hideout we built for you? Do you all know the meaning of the word, incompetence?"

"It wasn't our fault; it was that stupid groomer's sister and that Gyarados of hers!" She said. "Not to mention that Hunter guy that cut the power line with his Mightyena, what do you expect us to do?"

"If you goons had paid any attention, that groomer's sister was named Fera Hazel, a former Top 15 of the Battle Frontier's Battle Tower finalists!" Masquerade said with an angry leer. "She made it to the top thanks to her Gyarados, and is considered one of the most disciplined ever to be trained! As for this Hunter, this Zarak, I know him as one of the best trackers on the Pokeblack Market, so it's no wonder you were so thrashed."

He turned and led them all to the van he had arrived in. "We're just lucky the cavern collapsed the way it did, just as we had planned it to do in case of an emergency, no evidence will be found and all records will have been automatically wiped if any of the computer systems survived the collapse. Even if they somehow found anything left of the cavern, there won't be anything for them to trace or use. That just leaves you all with a new assignment."

He handed them several maps as they all climbed in, special marks indicating where they were to go. "You're to regroup with team B of your Snagem Group in Mauville City; we've built a facility in the Game Corner where you can watch for trainers there. You're task is the same as it was here; get Pokemon according to what we specified. I'll contact you when you arrive for further details about where you'll be going for your assignments."

"So what about that Hunter, he was in on the entire thing we talked over the video feed?" She asked.

"You leave him to me, besides I still need to investigate the reports of a special **bird** that has flown into Hoenn from the Kanto Region." He said as they started driving off into the night. "If we're lucky and the reports are true, everything here will… cool off my boss' temper after he hears about this fiasco."


	18. Chapter 16

=Chapter 13, The Stone Badge=

=Lamentations of a God=

(Arceus' PoV)

As the sun began to peak over the horizon, bathing the forest near Littleroot Town in a cascade of orange and reddish light, Arceus imagined his student Jacob preparing for his first Gym Match that day. While he sat there in the Sanctuary in the same spot Jacob had last seen him, he wondered how the young trainer was fairing after the events of last night that he told him through the book.

**(I would rather him not have gotten involved with that Hunter, if it had been my choice, but alas, he is old enough to make his own choices now.)** He said to himself as he remembered Zarak from back then. **(Perhaps I was mistaken about him back then; greed may have driven him, but if what Jacob said is true, greed does not rule him.)**

He then thought about Team Snagem, how they had threatened Jacob and his Ralts, Sara, and threatened to harm them. **(Snagem should consider themselves lucky I did not follow Jacob on his journey, I would have done worse than the 'mercy' that Gyarados gave them!)** He said, remembering what Snagem took from Jacob years ago, depriving him of the life he should have had but was forced to live without.

He looked down at the doodle drawing Jacob had drawn as a younger boy, and felt a tiny pang of sadness, as well as great pride as he thought of the young trainer, out there traveling the region with his new friends and loyal companions. In just a month's time he had already done and seen more than any other trainer at his stage of their journey had. He encountered a legendary roaming Pokemon, nursed its injuries and helped it escape capture from humans hunting it. He had helped a Salon regain its glory and status via a Pokemon Contest. He had even encountered the same Hunter that had frightened him as a young boy, learned more about him, and with the aid of his friends rescued Pokemon from the same group of criminals that had destroyed his life years ago.

**(You grew up so fast Jacob, too fast for me to realize.)** He said, remembering the day he first met Jacob as if it were yesterday. **(One minute you were just a small boy, helpless and ignorant to the world of Pokemon that you wanted so desperately to understand and experience, and the next you are entering the very world you were ignorant of, full of knowledge beyond what you could have learned without me. I am ageless, and you are finite. One lifetime is but a mere fraction to me, but for you it is everything. Even when you are but a distant memory in the thoughts of others, I will remain the same as I am now. To me you will always be that same small boy cowering in fear of a Mightyena's pack.)**

Arceus looked up at the sky one more time, lamenting for one final thought. **(How time flies.)**

(Jacob's PoV, Rustboro Gym Lobby, Midday)

"Jacob Beryl, are you ready for your scheduled match?" The receptionist asked him as he nervously stood there with Sara in his arms.

"Y… yes!" Jacob stuttered as Karen waited with the other trainers for the scheduled matches.

Hours ago Jacob had awoken from the Rest Area with Karen to get their Pokemon ready for their matches that day. It took him a long time to get going that day, but once he got over the fear and worry about performing badly in his first Gym Match he eventually got into his routine of making sure his team was well fed, prepared mentally and physically for the match to come. Then they strategized about which of his team would go in for the match, because the Gym Leader would be using three for her team, so by Pokemon League rules he had to use three as well. What those three the leader would use only time would tell. As for Karen, she told him that she already had a lineup for her match, not having much choice if she wanted diversity in her lineup since she had two Poochyenas on her team.

Which Jacob agreed with, two Poochyenas, a Shroomish, and a Zigzagoon did not give her much diversity for her first Gym Match.

Still they went over what kind of Pokemon they would fight, and strategized about how to counter them. They both knew the type beforehand, but not what kind Tara would use.

From his lessons with Arky he knew what rock type Pokemon were capable of and weak against, what their strengths were and what kind of tactics one using them would be using.

For his team's lineup he chose to start things off with Roran, his Tailow, for his superior speed and his ability to outmaneuver Tara's slower Rock types. Next in line would be Sara for her psychic abilities, she may not move around a lot but her powers should be able to best the Gym Leader's Pokemon. Third and final would be Harold, his Grovyle, because of his superior land speed and jumping capabilities combined with his Grass Type nature and moves, he stood the strongest chance out of Jacob's team to win the badge.

It took some convincing and explanation, but Ivan understood Jacob's reasoning for leaving the pooch out of the fight. Despite how tough Ivan was in a direct, one on one fight, his attacks just didn't work well against Rock types. Kora his Silcoon didn't have much in the way of mobility, seeing as she was a cocoon Pokemon at the moment, and he didn't have any experience with training her to move the way the Silcoon he had faced in the local tournament challenge had. Coral was also not going to fight, seeing as it was not a fight she could participate in without any body of water for her to swim in, something a Rock type Gym would not have, and aside from her tackle attack, she wasn't exactly the most diverse in terms of moves she could use.

A fish Pokemon out of water is one thing, a fish Pokemon out of water and told to fight a rock type that had the advantage was another thing entirely.

However that was all before, when he had time before the match to plan and prepare, now that he was about to walk through the door and take on his first Gym Leader, he was figuratively singing a different tune.

Still, he wasn't nearly as afraid as he imagined he would have been, thanks to his team giving him encouraging words and gestures before they left the Rest Area.

Coral had swum around in the pond making a figure eight to say he'd do great, which he thought was cute. Ivan barked to say Jacob would emerge the triumphant Alpha Male, why he keeps referring to him using wolf terms he couldn't figure out. Kora said he'd do just fine, although she also asked that if they did win if he would make them a victory feast. Roran said he would not let Jacob down for the first Gym match. Sara said she'd try her hardest, after she translated for everyone else. Harold merely gave him a confident smile, as well as his version of a 'thumbs up' with his claw-like hands.

So with his confidence boosted and his team ready to go, Jacob took one final calming breath, one last encouraging nod from Sara, and stepped forward and through the double door of the Gym lobby that lead into the main stadium.

He walked through into a blaze of light that temporarily blinded him and Sara before they became accustomed to it, but once they did they were met by a vast room filled with very rough and rocky terrain. There were boulders scattered here and there of various size and shape, obviously to make it more advantageous for one side or another depending on who used them correctly. But it wasn't just the terrain and sheer size of the Gym that amazed him, it was also the secondary level that was overlooking the field that was packed with spectators that amazed him.

"Wow." Jacob said as the doors behind him closed.

"Enjoying the view of your first Gym I take it?" A female voice asked.

He looked over at the opposite side of the Gym to see a woman wearing hiking jeans, a large heavy coat and a pickaxe hanging on her back smiling at him. "I'm guessing your Tara?" Jacob asked.

"Got that right newbie!" She said. "Welcome to the Rustboro Gym, it's here where new trainers earn their first Gym Badge. But don't expect me to just hand it over to you, first you need to show me that you have the grit and determination to back up your future as a Pokemon Trainer in the League Challenge! So tell me Jacob Beryl, do you have what it takes to make it past the first hurtle of your Trainer Career?"

"I think so!" Jacob said, adjusting his hat to make sure it stayed in place during the match.

"Then let's get this started!" She shouted as she tossed out a Pokeball out onto the field. "Geodude, you are up!"

As the Pokeball released its Pokemon, a boulder-like Pokemon with two rocky arms that stood about one foot tall, Jacob released his own Pokemon out. "Roran, you're up as well!"

In a flash Roran appeared and stretched its wings imposingly to make himself appear bigger. While the Pokemon were released for battle, Jacob heard what appeared to be some kind of announcer over an intercom proclaiming a play by pay recall of the match.

**(AND HERE WE BEGIN WITH JACOB BERYL'S FIRST POKEMON GYM MATCH, AND THE FIRST ONE HE PICKS TO TAKE ON TARA'S GEODUDE IS A TAILOW! DOES HE HAVE SOME KIND OF STRATEGY FOR THIS UNFAVORABLE MATCHUP FOR HIM?)**

"Alright Geodude, let's give Jacob a strong start!" Tara declared. "Start things off with Rock Throw!"

"**Geodude!"** Geodude said before he started grabbing rocks of varying size and tossing them at Roran.

"Roran dodge and counter with Quick Attack!" Jacob called out quickly.

Roran nodded and dodged the rocks before picking up his speed for the Quick Attack. Tara's Geodude kept trying to throw rocks at Roran but at his speed none of them could hit the flying bird. Then Roran came swooping in and smacked the Rock Type head on with the Quick Attack.

That was when Jacob realized he made a fatal error in his planning; Roran was a Taillow, a small bird Pokemon made of flesh and blood. The target of Roran's attack was a Rock Type Pokemon, with a body more familiar to a boulder's than any of Jacob's Pokemon. The Quick Attack had about as much effect on Geodude as a snowball in a volcano, instead of hurting Geodude Roran received the brunt of the damage. He recoiled away and tried his best to recover, but it was clear that Jacob's original attack plan was not correct.

This was only made more apparent by the announcer's words.

**(THE ROOKIE'S TAILOW RESPONDS WITH AN AGGRESSIVE ATTACK AGAINST THE GYM LEADER'S GEODUDE, BUT ROCK TYPES DON'T TAKE MUCH DAMAGE FROM DIRECT ATTACKS AGAINST THEM. HOW WILL THIS UNFAVORABLE MATCHUP DEVELOP FOR THE UP AND COMING ROOKIE?)**

"Roran, quickly get back in the air!" Jacob ordered, knowing that while he was on the ground he was vulnerable.

Roran nodded and got back into the air, just as Geodude started throwing rocks again, and avoided many of them. "You can only dodge so long Jacob Beryl, your Taillow can't run forever and eventually you'll have to attack." Tara said with a grin. "So what are you going to do against a Pokemon whose defense is greater than your attack?"

"You'll find out." Jacob said boldly. "Roran, use Double Team!"

"**Taillow!" **Roran replied, and in a flash there were now two Taillows flying around, and a second later they became four, then eight, than sixteen.

"**Geo… dude…"** Tara's Geodude said as he watched a circle of Taillows flying around him high above, unable to keep track of one before three flew past.

**(INCREDIBLE, JUST WHEN IT SEEMS TO BE ONE SIDED, THE ROOKIE CHALLENGER PULLS OUT A NEW TRICK FROM HIS HAT AND SEEMS TO TURN THE TIDE! THE GYM LEADER'S GEODUDE IS GOING TO HAVE A HARD TIME KEEPING TRACK OF THIS BIRD NOW!)**

"Stay calm Geodude, use Rock Throw until you hit that bird!" Tara called out.

"**Geodude!" **It replied, before once more grabbing rocks to throw up at Roran high above him.

"Roran keep using Double Team!" Jacob called up to his Taillow.

He knew that Geodude could bring down Roran with one hit if he got lucky, and Roran didn't stand a chance in a head on fight. This is why he was using the tactic that he, Sara, and the rest of his team had come up with for Roran to counter the Rock Type Gym leader. Roran had learned how to use Double Team before, and now they were putting it to good use. Each time he used Double Team he created more and more after-images of himself in order to fool his opponent with, all he had to do was keep using it. His plan was two parts, the first was to wear the Geodude down with Double Team and keep Roran unharmed for as long as possible.

"Alright Roran, now come in for a Wing Attack!" Jacob called out.

Roran nodded and in seconds all six dozen images of himself flew down toward the Geodude. Then as one they swarmed the rock type, but only the real Roran swooped by and smacked it with his wings as he flew by.

Geodude recoiled from the attack and tried to counter attack, but just as quickly as Roran came he flew back into the air with all of his after-images.

Part two of his plan involved hit and run attacks with Roran, keep Geodude from hitting him with Double Team and slowly whittle down his opponent into submission.

"Now that's more like it, this is what I expect from a trainer entering the Pokemon League!" Tara exclaimed. "Let's see if you can keep this up!"

It was a slow process but eventually his plan paid off! As he gave Roran the signal to attack one final time, his Taillow struck Geodude, who by this time was well exhausted from constantly hitting nothing but after-images with Rock Throw. Roran swooped in and gave one final swipe of his wings to the Geodude, and after a long five minutes, Geodude was knocked flat on his back, with spirals in his eyes, clearly and undeniably defeated.

**(GEODUDE IS UNABLE TO BATTLE; THE ROUND GOES TO THE CHALLENGER FROM LITTLEROOT AND HIS TAILLOW!)**

Tara recalled her Geodude as Roran came in for a landing, and Jacob saw that the strain put on the bird's wings was quite a bit. He was exhausted, even more so than Geodude was. He was panting heavily, but there was still a gleam in his eyes that showed he was immensely proud of himself. "Well done Roran, now rest up while its Sara's turn." He said with a smile and patting Roran's head, before he recalled the hard working Pokemon back into his Pokeball. "One down two to go, you ready Sara?"

Sara smiled confidently and gave him a fist pump to show him. **(You bet… I am!)** She told him confidently. **(They won't know… what hit them!)**

"That's my Sara." Jacob smiled with equal confidence, knowing that she had been pumped about battling since yesterday, though where she got this sudden burst of confidence and energy he didn't know.

As he turned to watch Sara walk onto the battlefield, the announcer continued to commentate on the match. **(THE CHALLENGER HAS PULLED AHEAD OF THE GYM LEADER BY ONE POKEMON, AND NOW HE SENDS OUT A PSYCHIC TYPE POKEMON, A RALTS. WHAT WILL THE GYM LEADER CHOOSE TO COUNTER THIS NEW MATCH TYPE, AND WHAT IS THE CHALLENGER'S PLAN?)**

Tara smiled as she pulled out a new Pokeball, twirled it for effect before she declared in a loud voice. "Nosepass you are up!"

In a flash of light, another rock Pokemon that stood just over three feet, had a reddish 'nose' and two closed eyes in shadow, two arms that resembled compass needles.

It silently waited for Sara to reach her battle position before the match could begin. Meanwhile Jacob and Sara communicated telepathically about their strategy.

**(Jacob you know… I can only… use my confusion… a total of… three times now.)** She told him. **(So what are… we going to… do?)**

_(Do you know how to use that Double Team that Roran showed you?)_ He thought to her. _(Besides we can use that Teleport move you learned how to do today, I know it's still unpracticed in battle but it might give us the advantage.)_

**(I can… but I don't… know if they'll… be effective… against this Nosepass!)** She said. **(We can only… use one move… at a time… I can't teleport… and use that… move at the… same time!)**

_(Just do your best Sara… do your best, that's all I'm asking of you.)_He thought.

Once Sara was in position the announcer declared, **(THE CHALLENGER'S RALTS VS GYM LEADER TARA'S NOSEPASS, BEGIN THE MATCH!)**

"Nosepass take down that Ralts with Rock Throw!" Tara shouted.

"**Nose… pass…"** Nosepass said before its body had a blue aura around it, and suddenly rocks in front of him flew at Sara, much faster than the Geodude could manage.

_(Teleport now!)_ Jacob thought.

Sara nodded and instantly vanished, avoiding the incoming barrage of rocks by just seconds. She reappeared to the left of the Nosepass, and it only turned to face her before it sent yet more rocks at her.

Sara teleported again at Jacob's command, and this time appeared to the right of the Nosepass. Their plan was the same as his plan with Roran was; wear down the rock type by constantly moving, than strike as he's confused.

Just as Nosepass turned to face her again, she gathered all of her psychic energy, took careful aim, and at his command, unleashed her first confusion against it. The attack connected and Nosepass temporarily stopped moving as his eyes swirled for a few seconds.

**(NOSEPASS TAKES A CONFUSION ATTACK DIRECTLY; IT SEEMS OUR GYM LEADER HAS UNDERESTIMATED THE CHALLENGER! CAN SHE TURN THE TIDE AGAINST THIS PSYCHIC MATCHUP? OR HAS OUR CHALLENGER TAKEN A LEAD THAT SHE CANT OVERCOME?)**

Tara looked unconcerned as to the plight of her Pokemon's problem. Then she declared in a loud voice, "Nosepass, use Thunder Wave!"

"**Nose… pass…"** It whispered before its nose glowed brightly, sending out an electrical wave toward Sara.

Before Sara could teleport away she was hit by the attack, racking her body with electricity and making her cringe in tiny bursts of pain. Jacob could feel it thanks to her psychic connection, and it was making him feel the paralyzing effects as well.

**(OH THAT WAS A TREAT POKEMON FANS, RUSTBORO'S GYM LEADER GAVE THE CHALLENGER A WAKEUP CALL THAT I DOUBT HE WILL EVER FORGET. AFTER SUCH A WELL EXECUTED SERIES OF ATTACKS, THE GYM LEADER COUNTERS WITH THUNDER WAVE; WITH HIS PSYCHIC POKEMON PARALYZED CAN HE TURN THE TIDE?)**

_(Sara, are you okay?)_ He asked her.

**(Barely… it feels… like my whole… body is hurting!)** She told him as Nosepass prepared to attack again.

"Nosepass use Rock Throw again!" Tara ordered.

"**Nose…pass…"** It declared, glowing once again and sending more rocks at Sara.

"Sara teleport!" Jacob shouted.

Sara nodded, and at the very last second, managed to teleport to safety before the rocks could hit her. She reappeared behind the Nosepass, and it slowly turned to attack her again.

He wanted her to use Double Team, like they had originally planned, but in her current condition she couldn't manage the concentration necessary to teleport and create after-images of herself to fool the Nosepass. They would have to rely on her ability to Teleport around and avoid damage.

**(Don't shout your… instructions… it makes it… harder for me… to concentrate!)** She told him.

He nodded and thought his next instruction to her. _(Sara use confusion.)_

Sara concentrated as hard as she could, gathering her psychic powers before unleashing it again at the Nosepass, just as it was about to resume its attack against her. It took a step back, shaking its head in pain as it was unable to clutch its head with its small arms. Jacob saw that the confusions were taking effect against it; it was starting to be confused and would eventually start hurting itself. All she had to do was hit it with one more Confusion attack, and it would most likely collapse from the mental attacks against it.

"Nosepass, focus, use Rock Throw quickly!" Tara called out desperately.

"**Nooooose… paaass…"** It moaned before it glowed again, sending rocks from far away in front of it flying toward it.

The rocks slammed into it, knocking it back yet again. **(AMAZING, THE CHALLENGER'S PSYCHIC ASSAULTS HAVE CONFUSED TARA'S NOSEPASS TO THE POINT WHERE ITS ATTACKING ITSELF!)**

_(Sara, finish it off with one last Confusion!)_ He thought confidently.

Sara nodded in understanding, and with her full powers focused on the confused Nosepass, she brought it down with one final blast of psychic energy. The Nosepass stood tall for a brief second, before it fell over backward.

**(NOSEPASS IS UNABLE TO BATTLE; THE ROUND GOES TO THE CHALLENGER AND RALTS!)**

Sara gave a happy little jump before she took a second to teleport back over to Jacob, who quickly swept her up in his arms, giving her a happy hug. "Well done Sara, you took out that Nosepass and he was three times your size!" Jacob said in congratulations.

**(Thank you… Jacob!)** She said happily, before she suddenly started glowing the same way Kora and Harold did.

"Sara?" Jacob said as his eyes were temporarily blinded by the light.

As his eyes couldn't see through the light, he only had his hands to tell him what was happening. He felt Sara becoming a little heavier in his grip, he felt her short arms growing slightly longer, and as the glowing started to dim he saw that she seemed to have doubled in size.

When he could see her clearly again, he saw that she had indeed doubled in size. She had evolved.

Now Sara had a mostly green body with a white tutu-like skirt, a white face where her amber eyes were prominently seen with her green hair extending and ending in two hairpins. Her single red horn that she had as a Ralts, now doubled in number, had shifted to both sides of the top of her head. Her hands now ended in two fingers, and her legs ended in pointed feet that resembled dancer's shoes.

"Sara, you evolved, but how did that happen?" Jacob asked her.

"**Kirlia?" ** She replied in her native dialect before translating into telepathy. **(I don't know… I just felt the same feeling Harold talked about, then the next moment I'm feeling like I have all this pent up energy!)**

"Hey you're not pausing on every other word anymore!" Jacob exclaimed.

**(I think it's my evolution, I feel so much stronger… and my mind is so much more focused and… everything! I feel like I could blast off a dozen Confusions without a problem!)**

"I'd like to congratulate you on your Pokemon's evolution, and now I would like us to continue with our match." She said with a smile as she held a third Pokeball in her hand. "I can see you and your Pokemon have a strong resolve that rivals Rock's hardness, it would give me great pleasure to present you with the badge, but first you must pass my final test, as well as my final Pokemon."

Jacob nodded and after placing Sara back on the ground, he grabbed Harold's ball in preparation. "Thanks, though I still don't know how she evolved so fast, she's never been in many battles, in fact this is probably only her second!"

There was a twinkle in Tara's eye as she gripped her Pokeball in preparation to throw it. "I'll explain how after this battle, but for now, let's show them what we're made of Onix!" She declared, throwing the Pokeball.

In a flash, the largest Pokemon Jacob had ever seen appeared in front of him, it was even larger than Fera's Gyarados. Its body was about twenty eight feet long, and towered high above Jacob and Sara. Its body was comprised of several boulders, each of varying size, all interlocked with each other.

"**Grwooooooooar!" **It roared.

Jacob nodded, knowing that this was the most powerful Pokemon she had, else she wouldn't have saved it for last. Then he took a breath and tossed Harold's ball. "Harold, you are up!" He declared.

In a flash Harold appeared, and looked up at the towering Pokemon high above him.

**(IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS FINAL POKEMON OF THE GYM LEADER, CAN TARA'S ONIX BREAK THE LOSING STREAK OF HER TEAM, OR WILL THE CHALLENGER'S GROVYLE EMERGE VICTORIOUS?)**

"Well Jacob I wish you good luck, because my Onix here will not be going down without a fight!" Tara said. "Onix, show this up and coming trainer how the League plays out from here on out, give it a taste of your Rock Throw!"

"**Grwooooar!"** The Onix shouted as its tail swept forward, grabbing several rocks each the size of Harold before lobbing them at him.

"Harold, dodge it and counter with Absorb!" Jacob called out.

Harold obeyed instantly and got out of the way just in time to avoid the rocks that flew at where he had been mere moments ago. This Onix was indeed powerful, and its sheer size meant that with one tail swing it could send more projectile rocks than either Geodude or Nosepass could. However because of Harold's evolved form he was able to outmaneuver the Onix's massive size advantage and close the distance between him and it.

"Onix give that Grovyle a taste of your Rock Tomb!" Tara shouted.

"**Grwoooooar!" **It yelled, before taking another sweep of its tail and gathering up a large number of rocks, before it slammed them down atop of Harold.

However his speed was too much for the giant rock snake, Harold managed to dodge the attack and landed on top of Onix's back thanks to a powerful leap from his muscular legs. Then his tail glowed slightly as he held on tightly. The Onix slumped slightly as Harold absorbed energy from the Rock type, and because of its type weakness the Rock Type's slight slump became even worse as the seconds grew.

"Harold, keep using Absorb for as long as you can!" Jacob told his starter, knowing that the grass move was the strongest he had against this mighty foe, and knowing that a single Absorb would not win the match.

Harold nodded and used the claws on his hand and his feet to dig into the giant rock Pokemon so he could not be dislodged easily.

"Onix counter attack with Rage!" Tara shouted. "Keep using Rage and knock it off however many times you must!"

"**GrwOOOOOOOOOAR!"** Onix shouted as it glared determinedly, before it slammed itself onto the ground with so much force that the entire ground beneath Jacob shook. **"GRWOAR, GRWOAR, GRWOAAAAAAR!"**

It kept shouting, over and over, slamming itself with Harold still wrapped on him again and again onto the ground, trying to hit the gecko Pokemon between itself and the ground. The attack the Onix was only growing stronger as the damage from Absorb grew with each passing second. After the sixth slam a dust cloud had risen up and blocked the view of the field, but he could still see the Onix writhing and slamming itself onto the ground, trying to smash his starter.

**(LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I CAN'T SEE WHAT'S GOING ON FROM I CAN SEE, ALL I CAN SEE IS THE FIELD COVERED IN A DUST CLOUD AS TARA'S ONIX CONTINUES TO USE ITS RAGE ATTACK! THE DAMAGE IT MUST BE TAKING EACH SECOND FROM THE CHALLENGER'S GROVYLE MUST BE SO MUCH BECAUSE THAT ATTACK'S GETTING STRONGER AND STRONGER WITH EACH PASSING SECOND! THIS MATCH CAN END LITTERALLY IN A SECOND AND GO EITHER WAY!)**

It kept going for a few minutes, with Jacob hoping feverishly that Harold was alright. He knew that Absorb, as its name implied, absorbed energy from the user's target, but with Rage's ability to increase its damage output based on how much damage the user was receiving, there was no way the most basic of his Grass type's moves could keep up with that output. If one of those attacks connected with Jacob's Harold, the starter stood no chance of holding up.

Finally Onix gave one last attack, before the stadium became eerily silent, the dust cloud still hanging over the arena. As it began to settle and dissipate, Jacob saw that Tara's Onix had collapsed to the ground, with a large crater-like hole where it had continued to smack into the ground to try and hit Harold. Speaking of the starter, Jacob saw that Harold was still indeed holding onto the rock snake, shaking furiously with his eyes were closed and breathing heavily. He had a few bruises, a lot of dirt stuck to his green skin, and his leaves were all bent and sticking at odd angles, but he was still very conscious, unlike the Onix who had swirly eyes.

**(ONIX IS UNABLE TO BATTLE!)** The announcer shouted in amazement. **(THE WINNER IS JACOB BERYL OF LITTLEROOT TOWN!)**

"Yaaaaaaaaa!" Jacob shouted excitedly as he and Sara ran over to Harold and, with careful hands, pried the starter off of the Onix and into a big group hug. "You did great Harold! That was amazing how you held on!"

"**Groo…vyle!"** Harold said nervously, but proudly as he slowly calmed down from the adrenaline rush of surviving an Onix's Rage rampage.

**(He says, that was… so intense!)** Sara translated happily.

While Harold and Jacob celebrated with Sara, Roran somehow let himself out of his Pokeball and joined in the group hug. In the background Tara recalled her Onix and allowed Jacob and his team to enjoy their moment of triumph, seeing that it was an important moment for them. When the excitement and companionship of the trainer and his Pokemon died down, she approached them with a smile.

"Congratulations Jacob Beryl, you've proven that your will and determination is strong enough to survive and overcome the trials of the future." She said, clapping her hands together in applause. "You see, my Gym, as well as my predecessors before me, have always used Rock Types here because they represent the hardiness a trainer needs to be to endure the long journey all trainer that walk through those doors must have! While I don't like losing I have no qualms when I do. You have a hard journey ahead of you, it's something I must make sure you and every other trainer can handle. Now here you go Jacob, the first of many badges I hope, I present to you the Stone Badge!"

Tara handed him a small badge, which looked like a small rock between two arrows. He accepted it and showed it to his team. "Thank you very much Tara, but before we leave can you explain how Sara was able to evolve so fast, you said you knew?"

"Yes, you see Jacob; Ralts are Pokemon that are known for connecting with others via their feelings." She said with a smile. "Normally it takes an exceptionally long time of battle experience and bonding with a trainer, for example, before it can evolve. However I'm betting you keep your Ralts out and bring it with you wherever you go all the time, am I right?"

"Yea." Jacob said as Sara nodded to confirm.

"Well there is another way for a Pokemon to gain battle experience, and that is observing a battle and learning from it. In other words, every time you've battled a Pokemon, whether it's just for practice or if it was more serious, each and every time your Ralts observed a battle between your team and another's, she gained experience. I'm also guessing that you being proud of her after a difficult fight, probably just boosted her feelings and emotions enough to help her evolve."

"Wow, that's amazing." Jacob said as he looked down at Sara. "But still, each of you did amazing in your own battles. I'm proud of each of you!"

"**Taillow!" **Roran chirped happily.

"**Grovyle!" **Harold said, nodding with a grin.

"**Kirlia!"** Sara said with a joyous laugh, twirling around on one foot and going into a dance in front of them.

While Sara twirled and danced, Jacob and the other two only stared in confusion at her burst of enthusiasm. "Oh yea, Kirlia's are known to dance and spin with joy when exposed to their trainer's feelings. If you feel happy or compliment her for doing well, she'll express her feelings like this." Tara said with a small giggle.

As if to confirm this, Sara spoke to them all through her telepathy. **(Jacob complimented me, I feel so happy!)** Sara declared, still dancing in front of them with joy.

They all laughed as Jacob recalled his team, with exception to Sara, whom he just picked up as she finally stopped dancing, blushing with embarrassment because of her open display of joy. As he left the arena he saw Karen getting ready for her match. She congratulates him after he tells her the news, and says she'll join him later at the Pokemon Center after her match.

(Many Hours Later, close to Eleven PM)

Jacob pulled Arky's book out of his pack, after Sara had fallen asleep on his chest in the Pokemon Center's bedroom he had been provided with. He thought about everything that happened that day, and decided to write everything down before going to sleep.

_*Jacob To Arky*_

_*Arky, today I won my very first Gym Badge, the Stone Badge! It was so intense Arky, I really wish you could have seen it live, telling you through this book does not do the match justice. First it was Roran my Taillow against Tara's Geodude. Roran was flying this way and that, using Double Team again and again, hitting with hit and run tactics to fight the rock type. Then it was Sara's turn to battle, and while the Nosepass was difficult, she managed to use Teleport and Confusion to bring it down, and get this; she evolved right after the match! I never knew that Pokemon could gain battle experience without ever battling just by observing one. That was how Sara was able to become stronger so quickly, all of the battles she witnessed, coupled with my praising of her abilities, helped her evolve into a Kirlia! Then it was down to Harold, my starter, vs Tara's Onix. I thought I'd seen a towering Pokemon in the form of that Gyarados belonging to Fera, but that Onix was even Bigger! Harold barely held on but he managed to defeat it with his Absorb.*_

_*I wish Karen had won her match though, she said that she couldn't pull out the win because her Ziggles and Laura couldn't hold their own against Tara's Onix. Her Shroomish, Shrew, didn't last long either, despite their best efforts. She said she was going to have a rematch with the Gym Leader in a few days, and was planning on training each day to win the badge. I would stay but, she told me to go on ahead to the next Gym because I will have to wait anyway before I can even fight it. Something about waiting to board a ferry that travels between Dewford and Route 104, and that it takes a week before the ferry arrives at either destination. She said that I would have to wait for the ferry to arrive and that I can battle trainers near there to practice, or I could help my other Pokemon prepare for the next Gym.*_

_*Partially I'm glad she's not joining me for a few days, I don't think my back, or my food stores, would survive the first week without me preparing ahead of time.*_

_*Now speaking of Fera's Gyarados, Segan caught up with me just a few hours ago. He said that he wanted to thank me properly for helping him and Glace, as well as his Salon. I said that it wasn't necessary, but he insisted. Not that I'm complaining! He gave me and my Pokemon a Pokeblock Bundle, at least a month's supply of Pokeblock sweets for my team as thanks, as well as a small crystal.*_

Jacob paused in his writing to look at the very crystal he was talking about, currently around the neck of Sara as she slept soundly on him. The shiny gem was cut expertly in the shape of a teardrop, with a beautiful chain to allow it to be worn. It glinted beautifully in the pen's golden light, reminding him of how much joy Sara had expressed when she was told it was hers.

_*Segan said it was crafted for Sara, why her I don't know, but I do know what the crystal was. It was a Froslass Tear, having come from Segan's very own Glace. She had apparently cried it while we were in Snagem's hideout, just as he told her that he was happy she was alright when we found her. He told us that the whole day he had spent finding someone to carve it into a small necklace for Sara in memory of their adventure with us that day.*_

_*Man am I tired Arky, right now I'm in the Pokemon Center because Karen and I didn't feel like sleeping at the Rest Area again or bunking at Segan's Salon again. Tomorrow I'll begin the journey back to Petalburg woods and from there to the ferry to Dewford. Wish me luck Arky, the real part of my journey has just begun!*_


	19. Intermission 3

**Greetings my Pokemon Fans and anyone else reading this fic, I am currently working on the next chapter, and while I'm writing it I want to ask you all a few questions.**

**First of all… holy firkin crap, 5000 views? What is it about this particular fic that in two short months it beats all of my other fics COMBINED in terms of reviews, views, and followers? Please tell me in a review or PM, because I wanna know what I'm doing right with this fic?**

**Now tell me what you all think of Jacob's team at the moment, are some of his Pokemon evolving too fast, not fast enough, just fast enough for your liking?**

**What about the story so far, are you all enjoying it at the moment? Do you want more PoV's from a certain character? Tell me in a review about what you want.**

**Now about the story, what do you think about Jacob's journey right now, is he going to do well?**

**Also about that Masquerade fellow I've mentioned twice now, what do you all suppose is up with him, I wonder…. Hmmmm. :D**

**Now here's a little quiz for you all, whoever can guess what the particular 'bird' that flew in from Kanto is first, will have a special chapter written for them with their own character that I may or may not allow to accompany Jacob on his journey! So rack your brains, think about it, and send me a PM ONLY with your guess. If you're right I'll reply and tell you you're right, as well as ask for your character, your team lineup, as well as what kind of chapter you'd like.**

**Be reasonable when asking for the chapter, keep it nice and honorable.**


	20. Chapter 17

=Chapter 14, The Knuckle Badge!=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*Dear Arky, today I'm going to be fighting for my Knuckle Badge, after nearly three weeks of waiting!*_

_*Sorry again for not writing to you over the past few weeks very much, but there wasn't much happening outside of the occasional battle with trainers to pass the time, not to mention having nothing to do on a ferry but spar with other trainers. But there is good news, Karen managed to catch up to us just before we were to board the ferry, victorious after winning her own Stone Badge and having rushed through the Petalburg Woods to join up with us. Her Ziggles even evolved as they traveled the woods, and if what she says is true, her new Linoone is itching for a rematch with Harold, __**again**__.*_

_*Anyway, after me and my team passed through the Petalburg Woods, which took a whole week mind you, we made our way toward the shore where I and every other trainer would board the ferry to take us to Dewford Town. Years ago it would have taken several days to go from where we are to Dewford Town to the south. However according to the Pokenet, the water between here and Dewford Town has become more violent, at least in terms of the water Pokemon that inhabit the water systems there.*_

_*The water Pokemon have all become hostile toward trespassers into 'their' territories, or at least 'more' hostile when compared to several decades ago. There have even been reports of Pods of Tentacruels attacking passing by ships and ferries, and their smaller Tentacool counterparts as well. Now only one ferry is allowed at any time to pass between Dewford and route 104, and Dewford and Slateport. This means trainers have to wait in droves at the locations to travel between the two locations if they don't have a Pokemon that can safely ride the waves and seas between the three locations. Official Pokemon League trainers that have Pokemon strong enough to fend off the Tentacruel, and Tentacool Pods are stationed on each ferry. The two ferries that have been traveling between the locations are large, capable of fitting about fifty trainers and their Pokemon comfortably. We're even allowed to battle on deck, provided we keep the special abilities of our Pokemon to a minimum use, and we're only allowed to engage in brief sparring matches with our teams.*_

_*These ferries even have their own built in bathrooms. Which is precisely where I am writing from right now, we're about to make landfall in Dewford Town in half an hour. I've left Sara and the rest of my team on deck to watch as we approach land. We've been able to arrange our match in advance thanks to an on board radio between here and Dewford.*_

_*Ivan is really itching to take on the next Gym Leader, if what Karen said is true about it being a Fighting Type Gym. She said that the Gym Leader there is a really headstrong and direct person. He takes after the previous Gym Leader and uses his Fighting types for direct, one on one types of battles. Just the way Ivan likes to battle, so I promised to let him and Roran have some action for this next badge. I asked Harold and Sara to let the others try their luck with the badge and thy have agreed to sit out this time. Now I know you said that I should use Psychic Types against Fighting types because of their weakness to the type, but Ivan has really been pushing himself harder and harder with each sparring match we have with other trainers. The same goes for Roran, he told me that even though he won his battle against Tara's Geodude, he really wanted another chance to prove himself in another Gym match.*_

_*Sara told me that he felt he did almost nothing last time, despite exhausting himself against a completely unfavorable matchup. So that's why I've been training Ivan and Roran for the last two weeks, to get them ready for this next match. It's going to be three on three like the Rustboro Gym, and while Coral would like to fight, she's still a fish out of water for now. I've promised to help her train for future battles, but for now Ivan and Roran need more attention. As for the third member of my team, well Kora wants to battle this time, and boy will the Gym Leader for the Dewford Town Gym be surprised!*_

(Jacob's PoV)

"Jacob hurry up, we're almost there!" Karen shouted as he got back on deck, his pack in its usual place on his back.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Jacob shouted back excitedly, jogging lightly to join Karen and their teams to get their first look at Dewford Town.

"**Linoone…"** Ziggles said in amazement while Shrew, Laura, and Nora looked on beside him.

"**Grovyle…"** Harold said with Ivan next to him and Roran flying above them in circles and watching as well.

All along the deck trainers and their Pokemon were watching their destination draw closer and closer. The island where Dewford Town was located is a very small location with about one hundred people living there; it was even smaller than Littleroot. There was nothing really special about the island or the town except for the Dewford Gym that many trainers go to for their second Gym Badge.

**(Wow, it's smaller than I pictured it being.) **Sara commented to him as she saw the town from atop Karen's shoulders. **(So what's our first stop Jacob, the Dewford Gym?)**

"No Sara, as soon as we make landfall we're going to the Pokemon Center to have you and everyone else checked out." Jacob said as he pulled out everyone's Pokeballs to return them. "Alright you guys, time to return for now, sorry about recalling you before we reach land but rules are rules."

"**Grovyle!"** Harold said, nodding in understanding as they watched Karen help Sara down before taking her own team's Pokeballs out.

"Alright guys come on back!" Karen yelled, recalling first Ziggles, then Shrew, Laura, and finally Nora.

"Harold, Ivan, Roran, return for now you three!" Jacob shouted, recalling his three Pokemon into their balls now.

Official Pokemon League regulations for the ferry from Route 104 to Dewford, and Dewford to Slateport, required all trainers embarking or disembarking the ferries to have their Pokemon within their Pokeballs unless they are wild. Of course because some trainers had Pokemon that preferred to remain out of their balls, the ferry drivers and League trainers always make a few exceptions. A few minutes later they reached the shore and the loading ramp lowered to allow trainers to disembark.

"Alright Jacob, let's get going." Karen said as she picked up her pack now in preparation to disembark.

"Right behind you." Jacob replied as Sara joined him at his side.

Thanks to her new evolved form, she no longer relied on Jacob to carry her so she could keep up with his longer strides. Although she still enjoyed riding his shoulder when she got tired, she found her newfound mobility really enjoyable, especially when it came to her habit of dancing every so often as she walked alongside her trainer.

Speaking of Sara and her dancing, Jacob watched his Kirlia twirl around every few steps as they waited in line with the other trainers disembarking. This made him and a lot of other trainers chuckle in amusement because they knew she couldn't resist the urge to dance.

He knew that she felt his excitement for the upcoming Dewford Gym match, as well as being able to set foot back on land. While he liked the sea as much as his fellow trainers, he preferred being near trees and especially walking on solid ground. Karen on the other hand, was clearly a land lover by sheer nature, as well as preference. During the two week voyage from Route 104 to Dewford, she got a severe case of seasickness, spending a good third of their time near the washrooms holding her stomach and mouth at the same time. She was more than eager to get off of the boat and get back on land.

He was surprised she lasted as long as she did without complaining about the trip.

Ten minutes later they and everyone else were off the ferry so that the next crowd of people, mostly trainers, leaving Dewford for Route 104 could begin boarding it. While Jacob wanted to head straight over to the Dewford Gym, he had to make sure his team was healthy and fit for the upcoming match. Karen was going as well because her match came right after Jacob's, and she wanted to make sure her team was ready to go. She also wanted to stock up on some food because we would have to wait here for several days before the next ferry to Slateport would arrive. The reason for this was that while the ferry was equipped to carry trainers, it was not equipped to feed them and their Pokemon.

This is why his bag was much lighter than usual, because while they had a kitchen on board to cook food for the passenger trainers and non-trainers, they didn't have enough food on board to feed the Pokemon as well. At most he and Karen had a combined four days left of food between them and their two teams, and thanks to Ziggles evolving he needed a little more food than he used to.

"Oh it's so good to be back on dry land again!" Karen moaned happily as she stretched her arms while walking into Dewford Town. "I hate boats, I don't care if we have to ride them those things don't deserve to sail if they make me sick!"

"I'm sure the boat did not mean to make you seasick Karen." Jacob said in agreement. "Now first things first, to the Pokemon Center, and after that we shop for food."

"Oh you can leave the food shopping to me!" Karen said with a grin and holding her hand out, as if asking him for money.

"As if, we both know that you'll spend our money on sweets!" He said with a smirk. "That's why you keep running out of food and you know it!"

"I can't help it, they're soooo yummy!" Karen moaned sadly.

Jacob had been wondering why Karen insisted on tagging along with him and his team, and now he knew why. It wasn't that she couldn't cook or didn't know how to, which she didn't, it was that she could not resist the urge to buy sweets and junk food for herself or her team. Since she never learned to properly cook for herself or others she just always purchased whatever was bagged up and could be eaten on the road. This he found out after checking on her supplies for when she was traveling on the road, and discovered chip bags, snack food wrappers, energy drinks, and special servings of canned Pokefood. How she maintained her figure eating such food, he didn't dare ask, and as for her team.

Well Sara told him that they didn't mind the food she bought them, but they practically begged her to make him to cook for them from now on.

"Well after we go visit the Pokemon Center we'll both go to the Pokemart to restock up on food and supplies." He said as they neared the Pokemon Center. "Then we'll pool our money together and purchase the food we need."

Karen sighed, pretending to be disappointed that she wouldn't be able to purchase the food she normally got, though she still smiled happily. "Oh well, so much for my sweet tooth." She said. "I guess I'll have to get used to it if I'm traveling with you Jacob."

"Yep, you decide to tag along with me, now you have to suffer with me." Jacob replied with a laugh as Sara danced in step alongside him.

They made the trip to the Pokemon Center short because there were so many trainers there, needless to say that between Jacob's cooking and their two trainer's constant sparring matches, both teams passed the checkup with flying colors. After the visit, they headed to the Pokemart to pick up the food and other supplies they were low on.

Jacob took charge when it came to selecting the foods to be purchased, wanting to buy necessary foods based on their team's dietary needs.

"Okay we need some Magikarp meat for our carnivorous team members, namely Ivan, Nora, and Laura." Jacob said as they passed by the frozen foods section. "We'll also need to get… fresh vegetables and fruits for the vegetarian members, as well as bottled drinking water."

"Can't we grab some sodas as well?" Karen complained as Jacob ignored the two for one sale on beverage drinks and walked right by it.

"Nope, that stuff is bad for you." Jacob said as he picked up a few small cans of sliced Magikarp meat. "Makes you slower and damages your teeth if you keep drinking it."

**(Meat, yuck, how can Ivan stand to eat that stuff?)** Sara asked Jacob as she watched him check the can's expiration dates before putting them in the basket.

"Well he is more of a carnivore than you are Sara." Jacob stated as they moved on. "I'm surprised you say that. You can eat meat as well; I don't know why you don't eat it."

**(Well I only ever ate berries and the berry soups you make when we travel.)** She commented when they walked near the 'greens' section. **(I just prefer that over meat.)**

After they go the food Jacob wanted to get, they packaged it and split it up evenly between the two of them. As he managed to stuff can after can, and package after package of food into his bag, Karen asked for probably the umpteenth time, "How do you manage to stuff everything inside that bag?"

Jacob only shrugged his shoulders as Sara peeked into the bag while he put the next bit of food into it. He was curious as to how the bag, despite its size, was able to fit all of what he put into it. It bulged slightly because of the contents, but he also wondered how it had so much space. It had been a gift from his teacher to him for his journey, and before when he had emptied it in the excitement of leaving Littleroot for the first time, he never wondered how it had so much space.

"Don't know Karen, but hey everything's on my shoulders so no problem right?" He said as he zipped up the bag and put it on his back.

"Yep, that's what guys are for, heavy lifting!" Karen said happily.

With their shopping done, their Pokemon ready, Jacob and company made their way to the Dewford Gym for their scheduled match. The Gym in Rustboro was indeed as its name implied, an exercising Gym where people and Pokemon went to work on their muscles and stay in shape. Inside there were rooms with weight lifting equipment, an aerobics therapy room, and a bunch of other rooms so that visitors could stay in physical shape, there was even a boxing ring where a trainer was going one on one with his Machoke. The Machoke, a four foot tall bipedal Pokemon with greyish colored skin, strong muscular arms and legs, and wearing a yellow belt was also wearing special boxing gloves as he traded jabs with the trainer.

"Hey can I help you?" A burly man in his late twenties asked as they looked around for wherever they were supposed to go. "You two here to take on the Dewford Gym Leader I guess?"

"Yea how did you…" Jacob asked.

"Well I kinda figured because you have a Kirlia staring around." He said with a grin. "Since she's a little small to be weight lifting or boxing, I took a wild guess and figured you two are trainers. So you have a match scheduled for tonight?"

"As a matter of fact yes, Jacob has his match in a few minutes and mine is right after." Karen said, looking at the guy's muscular arms more than his face. "So where is the Gym Leader, or are you him?"

"Me, oh no I'm not the Gym leader." The man said with a chuckle. "Wait a few; I'll get Max for ya. YO MAX!"

The man shouted at the trainer currently sparring with the Machoke still. "What is it Jack!" He shouted back, not looking up as he took a jab to his face and countered with his own.

"You're two and three o'clock matches are here!" He shouted.

"Hold on then let me wrap this up!" Max called back as he blocked another jab.

The two fought for a few minutes before Max delivered a strong uppercut, knocking the Machoke out in one blow. "Wow, he knocked out a Machoke?" Karen asked in amazement.

"Yea he always was a stubborn headed fool." Jack said with a laugh. "I'm impressed he managed seventeen full rounds this time considering his schedule."

"Seventeen rounds with a Machoke?" Jacob asked in amazement, Sara's own amazement at the thought of going over an hour fighting a Machoke one on one enhancing his own.

"Yea, if he didn't have any matches scheduled he'd probably have gone another twelve." Jack said with a chuckle as Max helped the Machoke up, bumping boxing gloves with the Fighting Type as a sign of friendship. "You ended that fight fast because of the match didn't ya?"

"Yea well, he understands why, I have responsibilities as a Gym Leader to fulfill; besides I ended it respectfully instead of just leaving our fight unfinished." Max said as he and Machoke left the ring, hanging their boxing gloves on a hanger and stretching. "So you're Jacob and Karen? Pleased to meet you both, I'm Max the Dewford Gym Leader, are you ready for your fights today?"

"You bet we are." Jacob said. "Although I hope we don't have to go one on one with you."

"Nah, that's not how it works." Max said with a laugh as he led them down a small flight of stairs and into a large battling arena below the Gym that looked like a larger version of the boxing ring upstairs. "Now as is tradition with every Gym Leader, we have to teach every trainer that passes through our gyms a very important lesson so that they know what they'll need to defeat us. So tell me Jacob and Karen, do you two know why I was boxing my Machoke earlier?"

"Uh because you like boxing Machokes?" Karen said sheepishly.

"No, you see I believe that every trainer has to have a strong body to go with a sharp mind." Max said as he walked toward one side of the field. "That's why I try and go at least one round more with my Machoke each week than I did the previous week. If I can go another round than I've gotten stronger with my endurance and know I can keep going when another wouldn't be able to. The same goes true with every trainer; you see I believe that in order to ensure that trainers can endure their journey they need to hone their bodies to endure the long hard trials in every kind of weather imaginable with their Pokemon. If you can't go the distance with your team than you can't last the journey, that's my motto for the Dewford Gym."

Jacob nodded in understanding, knowing that this was true. If he couldn't train himself or his team to last a long drawn out battle, than there was no way he'd make it in his journey as a trainer. "So how does this match go?" He asked.

"Simple, it will be three on three with a special rule in place for my particular Gym, now let's see how well you've trained your team because I guarantee that they will need to in order to win against me." Max said as his muscles flexed when he pulled out a Pokeball from the belt around his shorts. "I've trained all of my Pokemon to outlast any other Pokemon, each day they train hard so that they can go another five minutes than they could the previous day. As for the special rule, the rule is that neither of us can recall our Pokemon until they have been defeated or if their trainer admits defeat for that particular member of our team. So do you think your Pokemon have what it takes to go the distance?"

"Only one way to find out." Jacob said, taking out Roran's Pokeball first.

"Then let's see what you got Jacob!" Max said excitedly as he tossed the ball out onto the field. "Match Time, Machop!"

In a flash of light, a Machop appeared, looking like a smaller version of Machoke, though without the belt. It gave a fist bump as it saw its opponents, clearly ready to fight.

"Alright Roran, you are up!" Jacob shouted before tossing Roran's Ball.

Roran appeared in a flash of light, face set and already in his battle stance. **"Taillow!"** He chirped, ready to show his stuff.

"Alright Machop, let's see if these two can go the distance with us!" Max said with a smile. "Machop, start things off with Focus Energy!"

"**Machop!"** Machop said, nodding as he closed his eyes, cupped his hands together and took a deep breath.

"Roran, use your own Focus Energy!" Jacob shouted.

"**Taillow!"** Roran called back before closing his own eyes and taking a deep, calming breath.

Jacob knew that despite his training, Roran did not have the endurance to go the distance against a Fighting Type like Max's Machop. Even without knowing Max's training regime, he could tell that this Machop could probably outlast all of Jacob's Pokemon in a marathon without even breaking a sweat. His best hope was to use Roran's speed and type advantage to take down Max's Machop before it became a battle of who could outlast the other.

"Alright Machop, take on that Taillow with Karate Chop!" Max said after a few seconds of their Pokemon focusing their energy.

"**Machoooop!" **Machop said as he ran at Roran, palm outstretched to strike Roran.

"Roran get in the air quick!" Jacob called.

Roran responded instantly, and before Machop could even get close enough to strike he was in the air and circling the muscular Pokemon. Roran eyed the Machop, using his focus to search for a weakness to deal the critical blow that could end the match in an instant.

"Machop, use Endure!" Max shouted.

Machop responded with a nod and stood strong on the ground, never taking his eyes off his flying opponent in the air.

"Roran, give him a taste of your Wing Attack!" Jacob called out, not knowing what Endurance was but knowing Roran had to strike now while he had the advantage.

"**Taillooooow!"** Roran yelled as he swooped in, wings prepared to strike at the Machop who was still just standing and waiting for Roran's attack.

The attack connected and Machop grimaced in pain as he was knocked well back from where he had been standing. However Max's Machop stood tall and was holding Roran as he tried to get away.

"Good job Machop, now take that bird for a spin with Seismic Toss!" Max shouted.

"**Maachoooop…"** Machop said, gripping Roran tightly as he started swinging the bird in a wide circle around and around. **"Ma… chop! Ma… chop!"**

Jacob could do nothing but watch as his brave Roran was swung around and around by the Muscle Pokemon, before he stopped swinging him and slammed Roran into the ground with a resounding thud. Roran's head was spinning as he wearily rose from the ground, trying to get his bearings despite the beating he had taken.

Even though the Flying Type had the advantage, the Machop had clearly used it against him and brought the bird into close ranged combat where it was more prepared. Also despite how heavy the hit had been, the Gym Leader's Machop was apparently so strong that it still looked capable of fighting in the long run.

"Roran try to get back in the air!" Jacob called out to his Taillow, knowing he had to get Roran back into the air where he was safe.

"**Tai..llow!"** Roran replied before he managed to get back into the air, just as Machop moved in to attack with a Karate Chop.

Jacob took note of Roran's flight, he was definitely not going to last another Seismic Toss if he got within range of that Machop a second time. However Jacob had a surprise that Roran had been working on all the time they were on the ferry to here. "Roran start flying in a circle!"

Roran nodded, understanding the tactic and started flying around in a circle, picking up his speed every time he completed a full circle above Machop.

Machop meanwhile was mesmerized as he watched the bird above him just picking up his speed, but was quickly brought back to its senses as Max called out, "Machop, use Endurance one more time!"

"**Machop!"** It said as it braced itself just like before.

Jacob waited for just the right moment, when Roran's speed was at its peak before he gave Roran his next instructions. As he watched, he kept timing how fast Roran was going based on how long it took him to complete a full circle. Once he finished a full circle in one second, the fastest time he took to complete a preset circle flight, he called out loudly so Roran could hear, "Roran use Aerial Ace!"

"**Taaaaillooooow!"** Roran called as he spiraled down and smacked head on into Machop, knocking him all the way into the wall and disengaging before Machop could recover in time.

As Roran took to the air and admired his work, Max's Machop wearily stood on his two legs for a brief moment before falling face forward into the ground.

"Machop return." Max called out, recalling his Pokemon back. "Well you've beaten one of my Pokemon, which only leaves two to go."

"Roran, do you think you can keep going?" Jacob asked his Taillow, knowing the answer but also knowing he had taken a heavy hit from Machop.

Roran only nodded confidently as he took his position again for the next round.

"Well that answers your question Jacob; now let's see how much longer your Taillow can last against my next Pokemon." Max said, taking out a second Pokeball and tossing it. "Match time, Mankey!"

In a flash, a smaller version of the Primeape that Jacob had seen with Team Snagem appeared. **"Mankey!"** The monkey screeched as it hopped around, eager and ready for the fight to begin.

"Alright Roran, take to the air quickly!" Jacob ordered, knowing Roran was weakest on the ground.

Roran nodded and no sooner had Jacob finished talking did Roran take off. In contrast to his Mankey's eagerness, Max had yet to give the eager fighter any instructions. Instead he looked content to just let Jacob make his moves without making any offensive moves himself.

"Mankey, use Focus Energy." Max called out confidently.

"**Key…"** Mankey said, cupping its hands together and closing its eyes before taking a deep breath.

"Roran start flying in circles again!" Jacob called out to his Taillow, to which Roran nodded and started repeating his last pattern of flying in a circle to build up his speed.

As soon as Roran reached his max speed, Jacob gave the order to use Aerial Ace and Roran immediately went into a fast paced dive toward Mankey. However just as Roran started diving, Max gave a loud shout, "Mankey, dodge and use Seismic Toss!"

As Roran almost reached his target, Mankey's eyes snapped open and spun around, grabbing Roran with its hands and using both the spin's and Roran's momentum to send Roran into a rapid series of spins, before slamming him forcefully back onto the floor. Roran's eyes were swirling around, and judging by the way he was breathing he was not going to get back up anytime soon.

Roran was down for the count. "Roran!" Jacob called out as Sara used her powers to lift Roran and bring him into arms reach for Jacob. "Are you okay Roran?"

"Is Roran okay?" Karen asked as she looked over Jacob's shoulder to see Roran's condition for herself.

"**Tai…ai…ai…llow…"** Roran chirped weakly, his eyes still spinning around.

**(He says, he will be after he stops seeing six of you.)** Sara translated for him.

Jacob nodded as he pulled Roran's ball out to recall him. "Alright Roran you've done enough, take a long and well-earned rest for now." He said before recalling the bird into his ball.

"Now we're even Jacob, so which of your Pokemon will you use against my Mankey here?" Max said with a smile.

Jacob smiled as he already imagined which of his team would go next, and boy would it be a surprise for Max as he pulled out Kora's ball. "Oh I have my next one in line." Jacob said as he prepared to toss the ball. "Kora, you're up!"

As he tossed the ball and released his Bug Type, a pair of colorful wings was the first notable thing that everyone saw. Then it was Kora's main body, which was mostly black and white with two large blue eyes and two thin antennae sticking out of her head. For a mouth she had a long proboscis which was curled in a spiral, along with four stubby limbs for legs and arms. **"Beautifly…" **She cried as she flapped to maintain her altitude.

Kora had evolved on the trip to Dewford, her metamorphosis cycle completed, leaving behind the Silcoon shell she had once been, and assuming her final form as a Beautifly. She stayed in her ball most of the trip because, like Karen, she somehow had a case of seasickness, though it was not as severe, so she was able to get some training done and practice during the voyage.

"A Beautifly huh, well this will be a challenge indeed." Max said with a smile. "Course I think my Mankey can handle your insect. Question is can your insect handle my Mankey?"

"Let's see if she can, Kora, start things off with Stun Spore!" Jacob shouted confidently.

"**Beaauuuuu…"** Kora yelled as she flapped her wings quickly, sending a cloud of dust floating toward Mankey.

"Mankey get away before it touches you!" Max shouted quickly.

"**Mankey!"** Mankey shouted as it hopped back instantly before the spores could reach it.

Jacob wished he and Kora had more practice with her abilities, while she could perform her moves easily they still weren't perfected. Plus the two of them had yet to develop any strategies and tactics outside of, stun first, attack with Gust, and follow up with Absorb. The proof of their inexperience was that her Stun Spore cloud was so agonizingly slow that it would have no hope of reaching the target without being at close range. However he couldn't risk Kora getting in close range with Max's Mankey, she may be fully evolved but she was still not one hundred percent a master of her own capabilities. Plus her wings were not only the source of her abilities but they were also fragile, if they got hit and she became grounded, she was finished.

"Kora try to keep using Stun Spore until you hit his Mankey!" Jacob called out to the butterfly.

"**Beeauuuuuu…"** Kora replied before flapping her wings and sending another cascade of dust toward the Mankey.

"Mankey ignore the spores and circle that Beautifly, keep running as fast as you can and don't stop." Max called out.

"**Mankey!"** Mankey shouted as it took off to obey Max's instructions, circling Kora with a speed that all but matched Roran's.

Kora tried to keep the spore cloud pointed at Mankey, but it was moving too fast for the spores to hope to keep up. As the Mankey continued to run in circles, Jacob noticed that every time he completed a full circle the spore cloud became more and more condensed in a spiral beneath Kora. That was when he realized too late what Max's plan was, and why he told his Mankey to ignore the spores and simply run in a circle as fast as he could.

He had set up a trap for Kora. "Kora stop using Stun Spore and switch to Gust, quickly!" Jacob called out quickly, but he was too late.

"Now Mankey, jump and use Karate Chop!" Max called out, and instantly his Mankey used its momentum to jump above Kora.

"**Maaaaan… KEEEEEY!"** Mankey shouted as he smacked Kora's back, knocking her down through the dense spore cloud she had created.

"**Beeeau…"** Kora moaned as she landed heavily on the ground, covered in her own stun spores and trying desperately to get her wings out from under her.

Her sudden burst through the spore cloud had paralyzed the parts of Kora's body that were coated with the spores; she couldn't move her wings or her limbs. She was grounded.

However as he noticed Kora struggling to just flip herself over, he saw that Max's Mankey was also having difficulty moving. Apparently the swift motion of flying through the spore cloud had dispersed the spore cloud into multiple directions, and sent some of it into Mankey as it landed. It was moving its legs around with a grimace, as though his legs weren't quite working properly.

"Kora can you get up?" Jacob asked his grounded Beautifly.

"**Beau…ti…fly…"** She moaned as she managed to finally flip herself onto her four limbs, but she was struggling to just get her wings to move, let alone fly her off the ground.

**(She can't move Jacob!)** Sara translated. **(End the round before she gets more hurt!)**

"Kora, return!" Jacob called out, surrendering the round to Max and his Mankey so he could make sure Kora would be alright.

Max nodded and signaled to his Mankey that the fight was temporarily over so that Jacob could go to his grounded Beautifly. As Jacob and Sara rushed over to Kora he picked up the Beautifly to see how she was doing. "Kora, you okay?"

"**Beau…tifly…"** She moaned softly, tickling him a little bit as she used her proboscis to give him her imitation of a lick.

**(She says, she's sorry she didn't last as long as she wanted to.)** Sara told him as he scratched her head.

"You did alright Kora; you gave it your best shot, now rest and let Ivan finish the job." He said with a smile, taking Kora's ball and recalling her back into it.

Jacob went back to his position and took out Ivan's ball now in preparation. "So Jacob it's two to one, and you are down to your last Pokemon." Max said with a smile. "Think your last choice will be able to hold out against two of mine?"

"Only one way to find out, Ivan you're up!" Jacob called out, releasing Ivan from his ball.

In a flash his Poochyena appeared with a bark and a determined expression, knowing that if he was out than he was Jacob's last hope for a victory. "Alright then, resume the match, Mankey take on that Poochyena with Karate Chop!" Max called out.

Mankey obeyed the order but instead of a running charge, he only moved at half speed because of the Stun Spores from before.

"Ivan, counter with Leer!" Jacob called out.

"**Grrrr…"** Ivan growled, his eyes glowing red as the leer went into full effect.

"**Man…key…"** Mankey whimpered as it slowed to a screeching halt, its defenses being dropped as the leer caught him off guard. Coupled with the spore's effects, Mankey couldn't move properly.

"Alright Ivan now's your chance, move in with Tackle!" Jacob declared.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked before breaking into a full run and slamming into Mankey head on.

Max's Mankey was down for a few seconds before it struggled to get back onto its feet. However just as it stood up, its legs gave a short wobble before giving out. "Mankey return!" Max called out, recalling his Pokemon back into its ball. "Well done Jacob, you've managed to last up to my final Pokemon. Now let's see if you can overcome the final hurdle in your challenge for the Knuckle Badge!"

"Bring it on Max; Ivan is still ready and raring to go!" Jacob called out confidently, to which Ivan barked in agreement.

"Alright Jacob, match time Makuhita!" Max shouted as he sent the ball out and released his last Pokemon.

In a flash of light a stout yellow Pokemon with black boxing glove hands, two stubby legs, pink circles on its cheeks, and a black bib around its neck. As it fully materialized it pumped its fist-like gloves against one another, its expression set and stance ready.

"Alright let the final round begin, Makuhita start things off with Focus Energy!" Max called out.

"**Maku!"** Makuhita said before it held its fists together and took a deep breath.

"Ivan, don't give it a chance to finish focusing, hit it with a Tackle attack!" Jacob called out.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked, breaking into a sprint and smacking head on into the Makuhita.

Unfortunately the Makuhita's girth and weight threw the Tackle's momentum off, and there was almost no damage done to the fighting type. It completely ignored Ivan as it continued to take deep calming breath, focusing its energy so that it could deliver critical blows in battle.

"Ivan, use Howl!" Jacob called out, deciding to switch tactics while the Makuhita was busy focusing still.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked in response before taking a deep breath himself, and releasing a loud howl. **"AROOOOOOOOOWR!**"

Jacob and Ivan had been working on this tactic all the time they could on the ferry here. Ivan's Howl temporarily increased his attacking power by focusing his more natural instincts and channeling it into his attack power. His Tackles would have more impact now as soon as he used it again.

"Makuhita, Vital Throw!" Max called out.

"**Maku!"** Makuhita said, taking a defensive stance in response to Max's instructions.

"Ivan move in with Tackle!" Jacob ordered, not knowing what Makuhita's Vital Throw was, but knowing that he had to go on the attack with Ivan while the Howl was boosting his attack power.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked as he broke into another run for the fighting type and smacking into it head on.

The Makuhita was knocked back quite a bit, but before Ivan could disengage it grabbed the pooch. **"Maku… hiiiiiTAAAAA!"** It shouted as it tossed him over its shoulder and smacking him hard onto the floor behind him. Ivan whimpered a little as he managed to get back on his feet, a little in pain but still fighting fit.

"Ivan, are you alright?" Jacob called out.

"**Arrrf."** Ivan barked, shaking himself and glaring at the Makuhita across from him.

**(He says he's fine!)** Sara translated for him.

"Alright then, move in for a bite attack!" Jacob called out.

"**Arf arf!"** Ivan replied before moving in, fangs bared and ready to sink into Makuhita.

"Makuhita, Vital Throw again!" Max called out.

"**Maku!"** It said, resuming its previous stance again.

Ivan jumped at the Makuhita as he reached it and with his fangs primed and ready, clamped down on its arm as hard as he could. The Bite did its wonders and caused Makuhita to flinch painfully, missing its chance to grab and throw Ivan again as Ivan let go and retreated to a safe distance.

"We have no choice Makuhita, Belly Drum!" Max called out.

"**Maku…"** It said with a nod of understanding before it started beating its belly like a drum. **"Makuhita Makuhita hita hita Makuhita Makuhita hita hita Makuhita Makuhita hita hita!"**

Jacob knew what Belly Drum did, but was amazed that this Makuhita was performing it, however that amazement changed to determination as he realized Max was going all out on his Makuhita's attack. He had sacrificed most of what remained of Makuhita's stamina to increase its attack power. This fight would be determined by whoever got the next hit first.

"Ivan move in with Tackle!" Jacob called out.

"Makuhita, take it down with Arm Thrust!" Max called out.

"**Arrrrf!"** Ivan cried as he moved as fast as he could at his opponent.

"**Makuuuuu!"** Makuhita roared as it thrust its left arm forward toward Ivan, running as fast as its stubby legs could move.

In seconds they reached each other midway in the arena, and it was Ivan's Tackle that connected with Makuhita first! The resilient fighting type fell onto its back, and briefly tried to get back up before it collapsed back onto the ground.

Max smiled as he recalled his beaten Pokemon.

"You did it Ivan!" Jacob called out as he and Sara ran to the pooch that had turned around with a big grin on his face.

Ivan jumped into Jacob's arms and licked him happily, immensely proud at the fact that he was being praised by his trainer. In a few flashes of light, Roran and Kora appeared as well, and just like the first Gym, joined in the after battle group hug as they reveled in the fact that together they won the second of Jacob's badges.

Through his link with Sara, who was dancing around them because of Jacob's feelings about winning, he felt his team's brief emotions about the match. He felt that Roran was pleased about how he defeated his first opponent, and though he and Kora both lost to the second of Max's Pokemon; their combined efforts helped Ivan defeat it in and redeem their defeats. Ivan was proud that he had proved himself in his Pack Leader's eyes, and showed that he was just as strong as Harold and Sara were even without evolving. Kora was pleased that even though she fell to her own Stun Spores, she had managed to hit Mankey to paralyze him enough for Ivan to finish the job she and Roran couldn't accomplish.

"Well Jacob I can clearly see that you and your team have truly got what it takes to go the distance in your journey to come." Max said as he watched the group enjoying their moment with a smile. "It gives me great pleasure to hand over this badge to you; I present to you the Knuckle Badge."

Jacob nodded as he took the small badge in the shape of a boxing glove. "Thanks Max." He said as he put the badge alongside the Stone Badge on his hat, he had decided to pin all his badges to the hat until he could find a case to put them in. "This badge is more for my team than it is for me though, I don't think I really deserve it compared to them."

"That's not how they think of it Jacob." Max said, looking at Jacob's team. "You see Jacob, Pokemon don't obey just anyone that happens to capture them or whoever they decide to follow with. They obey us only because we've earned their respect and admiration."

Jacob's team nodded in agreement, especially Ivan who had deep respect in his eyes.

"Sure a Taillow will fly further than most people do in their lives, and a Poochyena's bite is much worse than its bark when compared to ours, but they need our help in order to realize their strengths. We grow as they grow, as they become stronger, we become stronger because it is we who help them achieve that greatness. And if your team is anything from what I've seen in the past, you will all go the distance if you work together."

"Thanks Max, and thanks guys!" Jacob said as he gave each of his team a pat on their heads or a scratch behind their ears.

"Alright now when's my match!" Karen called out excitedly, shocking Jacob because he had almost forgotten she was there as well!

"When I come back, I need to heal up my team upstairs!" Max said with a loud laugh. "You two can wait here until I get back. See you soon!"

(Eleven PM, outside of Dewford)

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*I'll keep this as brief as I can Arky because I am just so exhausted, seriously how can being happy and enthusiastic at earning a second badge tire me out so much?*_

_*In any case ya, as I just said I have earned my second badge. Ivan, Roran, and Kora have all earned their stars as I put it with this badge. They really worked hard to get it individually, even though it's a team effort that won the badge.*_

_*As for Karen, she won as well, though it was mostly Ziggles and Laura who did the work. She said that Shrew was her third choice, but he never got the chance. Ziggles is really strong, probably the strongest on her team because of how often she trains him.*_

_*We celebrated our victory over the Dewford Gym with a feast, made mostly by me. I need to teach Karen how to cook one of these days, it's the least she can do besides helping pay for the food!*_

_*Anyway Arky, I'll write to you again when something interesting happens. We have to wait a few weeks before we can take the ferry from Dewford to Slateport! Karen is not going to enjoy that, three weeks at sea on a ferry? Well at least this ferry is more designed for large numbers of passengers, both Pokemon and Humans, which means I won't have to be waiting in line to use the kitchen so I can cook our team's meals."_

_*Wish me luck Arky, next stop is Mauvile City for my next badge!*_


	21. Chapter 18

=Chapter 15, Happenings Around Dewford!=

=A Legend Revived=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*Dewford Town is, as I said before, a small town with very little appealing to anyone visiting outside of the Dewford Gym for trainers, and of course the local Pokemon Tournament arena on the other side of the Island near Granite Cave.*_

_*The local tournament here is one of the main attractions besides the Granite Cave for some trainers. For the most part they are beginner trainers like me who have yet to earn their second Gym badge and are training, or are waiting for the ferry to Slateport. In any case Karen and I have spent quite a bit of time watching the matches to learn some new tricks or strategies for our future battles.*_

_*Also it was either that or battle against her team every day.*_

_*In any case, during one of the matches we watched, we saw a trainer that I swear looked like he was destined for great things.*_

(Jacob's PoV)

**(AND IN A STUNNING PERFORMANCE TERRY HANSON FROM MAUVILE CITY TAKES DOWN JEFFRY ROSE FROM SLATEPORT CITY.)**

Jacob watched as the defeated trainer walked off the stage while the victorious trainer walked off with a big grin, as well as five hundred Pokedollars richer. This was the seventh match that he, Karen, and Sara had watched that day with the crowd of about thirty or so people. Earlier Jacob had competed but lost because of a type disadvantage against Harold. Karen had won her match, though narrowly thanks to Ziggles outlasting his opponent. Now they were watching the remaining matches, not wanting to spend the hot day training.

"I have to admit he lasted longer than the last guy we saw." Karen said as she took a sip of her soda. "He should have gone for that Headbutt when he had the chance, instead of the Take Down."

"Well he didn't have much choice I think, but yea that Take Down was a bit much." Jacob agreed, taking a drink from his bottle of water.

While their teams were at the Pokemon Center resting after their battles, the two of them were lounging outside and watching the small semi-dome-like arena with everyone else. It wasn't as massive as the one in Rustboro had been, but it was still large enough for trainers to put on matches and for spectators to watch in safety. The drinks had been purchased at Karen's expense, since she was the only one who had won her match; she got to decide what they drank and ate during the matches. Her choice had been a bottle of plain water for Jacob, a pair of sodas for her and Sara, and popcorn for the three of them to share.

**(Jacob, what are we doing after this?)** Sara asked next to him.

"There's just one more match before everyone breaks for lunch." Jacob said, turning to Sara to answer her. "After that we pick up the others and go make ourselves lunch. Then I'll help you and the others train as much as we can before bed."

**(Okay.)** Sara replied with a nod, taking a careful drink from the bottle of water that was about half her height.

While she had purchased a soda for Sara, the Kirlia had instead chosen to follow her trainer's example, and preferred to share the bottled water with him. So Karen, not wanting to be seen as a selfish person, purchased a bottle of water for her as well. This worked out slightly in her favor, because she got to keep the other soda for herself.

After a few minutes the announcer declared the next match. **(UP NEXT, TRAINER JACKSON FLORAL FROM RUSTBORO CITY VS TRAINER ALPHA SAPHIRE FROM LITTLEROOT TOWN!)**

"Alpha Sapphire, what kind of a name is that?" Jacob asked Karen. "I'm from Littleroot Town and I've never heard of anyone named Alpha Sapphire."

"Most likely they chose a code name for them to be called by in the Pokemon League." Karen said nonchalantly. "It's quite common among some trainers; they call themselves something wicked cool like what this Alpha Sapphire chose for example. Wonder who they are, because a code name can stand for anyone, even girls! I have to say though, bold choice for a code name, naming themselves after the famous 'Sapphire' from decades ago."

**(Famous 'Sapphire'?)** Sara asked alongside Jacob.

"Yea, you probably never went into much history about trainers before you started, but among the greats there were several code named trainers that stand out among the rest!" Karen said with a smile. "Like Red, that trainer Sagen was talking about with us back in Rustboro. Sapphire was the name of a trainer from Littleroot just like this new 'Alpha Sapphire'. I forget what his name was, but he and another trainer, a girl named Ruby became Pokemon League Champions. Supposedly they also took down two very cult-like organizations that went by the names of Team Aqua and Magma."

"How'd they both become champions, I thought only one champion existed at a time." Jacob asked.

"Well that's partially true, but there's two ways to become a champion, there's the method that Ruby used which me and you are doing, the Pokemon League Championship Challenge." Karen explained with a smile as they waited. "Then there's the Elite Four Challenge, any trainer with the qualified badges of a region can take on the Elite Four, and if they defeat all of them in a row without a single loss, then they become the Region Champion. Ruby won the Region Tournament and became a Region Champion based on that, but Sapphire defeated the Elite Four and became a Region Champion that way. Now do you understand?"

**(Wow, I never knew there were two ways to become champion Jacob.)** Sara commented as they returned their attention to the arena.

"Neither did I Sara." Jacob replied.

Just then two trainers were walking up onto the arena stage to cheers and applause, and Jacob instantly saw who 'Alpha Sapphire' was. Alpha Sapphire was a male trainer of about his age, wearing a bluish jacket and light blue jeans, and a navy blue Pokemon League cap which hid most of his dark brown hair. He walked with a confident walk that almost had a swagger to it.

The two trainers bowed respectfully to each other before they instantly went into battle poses.

Alpha Sapphire was the first to send out his Pokemon, a Marshtomp. This made Jacob raise his eyebrows, as he now knew who the third trainer to start from Littleroot months ago was. He knew that Jessy had started with Flare, her Torchic, and he had started with Harold, his Treecko. Now he knew who had started out with the third starter Pokemon Professor Nomel had to offer, the Water Type Mudkip.

The opponent seemed to grin as he sent out a Manectric.

Unfamiliar with the two Pokemon, only knowing that Marshtomp evolved from Mudkip, Jacob took out his Pokedex and looked up the two before the battle began.

_[Marshtomp, the Mud Fish Pokemon__,__ Marshtomp is much faster at traveling through mud than it is at swimming. This Pokémon's hindquarters exhibit obvious development, giving it the ability to walk on just its hind legs.]_

_[Manectric, the Discharge Pokemon, Manectric discharges strong electricity from its mane. The mane is used for collecting electricity in the atmosphere. This Pokémon creates thunderclouds above its head.]_

Jacob smiled, already knowing who was going to win this match if the Manectric's trainer acted in just the right way.

"So Jacob, care to make a bet on who'll win this fight?" Karen asked.

"Yea, I'm betting on Alpha Sapphire to win." Jacob replied.

"As if, his Pokemon's clearly a Water Type, the Electric Type's got the advantage!" Karen shot back.

"You'll see." Jacob replied with a confident grin.

The fight began and the announcer started commentating as Marshtomp spat out a bit of mud from its mouth, hitting Manectric square in the face and coating its eyes with mud.

**(MARSHTOMP STARTS THINGS OFF WITH A SHOT OF MUD SLAP, AND IT HITS DIRECTLY INTO THE OPPONENT'S EYES, THAT HAS GOT TO AFFECT ITS ACCURACY!)**

In response to this attack, the Manectric's trainer ordered it to charge forward with a Spark attack. It charged forward, emitting electrical volts as it went, and smacked into the Marshtomp and sent out a surge of electricity. Unfortunately the Marshtomp only shrugged its shoulders and hopped around on its two legs, as though it had no effect.

**(OUCH THIS HAS TURNED INTO A ONE SIDED FIGHT AS MANECTRIC'S ELECTRICAL ATTACKS SEEM TO HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO EFFECT ON MARSHTOMP!)**

It was as she said, the rest of the first round continued in that fashion, with Alpha Sapphire's Marshtomp just constantly witling away at Manectric's ability to aim its attacks properly while delivering just enough damage to weaken it down. As for the Manectric, unable to land any hits and unable to use its more special abilities, it could not last long against the water Pokemon. After a few minutes since the battle's start, Manectric took one heavy Tackle attack from Marshtomp, before it collapsed to the ground.

**(OUCH, AFTER TAKING SO MANY ATTACKS TO REDUCE ITS ACCURACY, MANECTRIC GOES DOWN AT LONG LAST!)**

As the Manectric was recalled, Jacob looked over at Karen's dumbstruck face. "How did an Electric Type lose to a Water Type?" She asked.

"Marshtomp is part ground, and that ground type made him resistant to electric attacks, my teacher told me all about how some dual type Pokemon have resistances their fellow dual types wouldn't have." He explained as the next match began between Marshtomp and Pelipper.

The rest of the match ended far too quickly for their liking. Alpha Sapphire was an incredible trainer; he defeated his opponents Pokemon with a clean sweep thanks to his Marshtomp. The entire crowd erupted in applause at the clean, almost effortless sweep!

Jacob and Sara just stared with their mouths open, Karen had dropped her soda in shock and it was spilling onto the ground.

All Alpha Sapphire did was recall his Marshtomp, smile gently at its Pokeball, and walk off the stage so next match could begin.

"I hope we don't have to fight him in the future..." Jacob whispered.

"Ditto…" Karen agreed.

=Coral's Wish=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*While we're waiting for the ferry, I spend a great deal of time helping my team practice and ready themselves for our future battles. I've been helping Harold keep track of his speed and jump timings in the nearby forest south of Dewford. Roran and Ivan have been practicing dodging attacks in the form of Sara using her psychic powers to send water balloons we purchased at them. Kora has been practicing her Gust and Stun Spore attacks by, well first using Gust to kick paper plates into the air, and then trying to land as many spores onto them while they floated back to the ground.*_

_*Coral however, proved the most tricky to train, but I swore to help train her so she'd be ready to take on any challenge that came her way. However since she only knows a few basic attacks and will only ever learn those moves, I had to try something to help train her!*_

_*That's when I came up with an idea to help her strengthen her Tackle attack while Karen was busy competing in the tournament matches again.*_

_*I was all for it, Coral however…*_

(Jacob's PoV)

"Okay Coral, let's try practicing your Tackle attack one more time!" Jacob called out as he held his sleeping bag around his waist, with as much of it being in front of him.

"**Feebas…"** Coral said worriedly from several feet in front of him.

"Sara?" Jacob called out.

**(She says, are you sure this is really the best way for her to train?)** Sara told him in his mind.

Jacob and his team were currently on the beach practicing and staying in shape before lunch time, or at least he and Coral were practicing. Harold, Roran, Ivan and Kora were all lounging about and enjoying the beach after training for so hard earlier. Sara was watching with the others as he and Coral were out in the waters deep enough for Coral to swim properly.

He was using his sleeping bag because it was about as cushiony as anything he had so that Coral wouldn't hurt herself, or him, when she made contact with her Tackle attack. However while she all for learning to improve herself and get stronger through practicing the few moves she knew, attacking Jacob, even with a cushion to soften her blows against him, was not what she had pictured doing. This is why she was not as into her training as the others were with theirs.

"Don't worry about it Coral, just pretend that I'm an opponent and hit me with your best Tackle!" Jacob called out confidently. "You need to learn how to tackle your opponents and the best way is to practice your move over and over against something. Now, swim in a circle to gain speed and then hit me as hard as you can in the stomach with your Tackle!"

"**Fee… bas…"** Coral said with a not-so-sure nod, before starting to swim around him as fast as her fins could.

Then she turned sharply to swim at Jacob before jumping out of the water and smacking into his stomach as hard as she could. Unfortunately she also knocked him into and under the water.

After a few disorienting seconds he sat back up and spat out a mouthful of water and glanced over to his team. Ivan and Roran were laughing at how he looked, with Harold and Kora merely going back to their nap after making sure he was alright. Sara laughed a little as she felt his embarrassment, knowing that this is was probably not the smartest idea he's ever come up with.

Coral swam up beside him with an apologetic expression. **"Feebas?"**

"It's okay Coral, I'm not hurt, although I think it's a good thing we did this before eating lunch or else I might have lost it just now." Jacob said with a smile, giving Coral's side a rub as he got back up. "Well let's try that again girl!"

"**Feebas… Feebas bas." **Coral said nervously.

**(She says that she doesn't want to risk hurting you.)** Sara translated to him.

"Give it one more try okay Coral, after that we'll stop for lunch." Jacob said confidently as he stood up and repositioned his sleeping bag in front of him and braced himself.

"**Feebas…"** She said again, still looking worried but nevertheless putting on a determined expression as she started swimming to pick up speed.

Once she achieved max speed she turned and jumped out of the water to smack head first into the sleeping bag. She knocked him down again hard, and this only repeated the previous actions of Roran and Ivan laughing as they watched him spit out a mouthful of water, Harold and Kora making sure he was okay before dozing off again, and Sara giving him her best smile.

Coral again swam up to him with an apologetic look on her face, clearly sad that she kept on knocking him flat on his back and into the water. "Well you're definitely stronger than you've ever been. I think we need to find another way to help you practice though." He joked with a smile as he got up and headed back to shore.

(Coral's PoV, Many Hours Later)

"And then the guy tried to use a Flamethrower against my Ziggles!" Karen said with a hearty laugh while she and everyone else ate dinner. "You should have seen the look on his face; he couldn't believe how badly he lost!"

Jacob, Harold, Ivan, Laura, Nora, and Ziggles all laughed loudly as Karen recounted her battle story for their amusement around their campfire. The rest of their team's, mainly Jacob's, just continued to eat their food, including Coral.

It was late in the day and as a special treat for them all working hard on training, as well as for Shrew evolving during Karen's battle at the tournament, Jacob made his special Oran Berry Soup and mixed in a few of the Pokeblocks that Segan gave him into each of their dishes. The result, every single one of them absolutely loved their dinner!

Coral watched her trainer and Karen from the water as she ate her food, thoroughly enjoying the flavor of the blue Pokeblock he had given her as a reward for working so hard in training. Though she wished she felt that she had earned it properly, all she did was attack her trainer a few times in the water. The others on the team were working their hardest to earn Jacob these badges, and all she had done was being the 'dead weight' of the team.

She ate some more of her food, before the waves could float it away. She preferred eating this way, and the food made her feel much better even if it felt undeserved. She didn't know what it was about those Pokeblock treats that Segan had given her trainer, but whatever it was, they made her scales seem to gleam brightly and she felt much prettier about herself. Why she felt prettier she didn't know, as she wasn't exactly a looker when compared to the other Pokemon on her trainer's team.

She wasn't as 'awesome' when it came to appearance like Harold and Ivan were, and as far as beauty was concerned Sara and Kora had her beat by miles. Yet for some weird reason, she felt like she was much prettier then she remembered ever feeling. This was saying something considering how many times she's been called 'ugly' and made fun of by nearly every trainer that sees Jacob with her.

As she finished eating she looked up at her trainer, and once again felt grateful to whatever blessed her with such a trainer. He didn't care if she was a useless fish that was also ugly, to him she was a valuable team member, and he was doing all he could to help her get stronger to prove all of those other trainers wrong.

As she thought this, Sara stood up and walked over to her, somehow making her steps look like a dance move. **"Are you alrig****ht?"** Sara asked her in Pokespeech, she only ever used telepathy if it involved Jacob and Karen. **"I felt you were feeling unhappy during your training!"**

"**How can you tell what I'm feeling, I thought you only paid attention to Jacob's feelings." **Coral asked the psychic in mild surprise.

Coral knew that Sara was a feeling type, and was most affected by their trainer's emotions, but she didn't know why she was concerning herself with her feelings.

Sara just gave a small smile as she replied. **"If it concerns Jacob, I make sure to pay attention." **She said calmly. **"But I'm privy to almost all of your feelings since I evolved now, so it's not hard to figure out whose feeling unhappy. So what's wrong Coral?"**

"**I'm just wondering if I'll ever be strong enough to help Jacob."** Coral answered.

"**Is that all, in that case you shouldn't have anything to worry about!"** Sara said with a smile. **"I'm sure Jacob will find a way to make you stronger! He's done it with all of us, he'll figure out how to train you just as well. Who knows, maybe you'll be even stronger than all of us!"**

"**I highly doubt that, all I can do is tackle and flail around… not to mention 'splash'… what good am I?"** Coral said, mostly to herself as she looked away. **"You're all super strong Pokemon, three of you have evolved and look at how much stronger you all are now! I don't even know what I'll evolve into…"**

"**You can always ask Jacob to look you up in his 'DEX'."** Sara said, using the nickname of that device Jacob had that helped him identify and learn more about whatever Pokemon he had it look at.

This was not the first time Coral had been tempted to ask her trainer to do that for her, she just wanted to know if she'd be like one of those Pokemon that never evolved. But she always refrained from asking out of fear of knowing.

"**I just don't care what I'll evolve into if this is how I look now." **Coral replied with bitterness. **"Look at me; I'm an ugly fish that nobody likes. If I ever evolve I'll probably just get even uglier, and then our trainer will never get any respect because he'll always defend me and protect me from people who'll make fun of me!"**

This was the sad truth for her species, as a Feebas she was born looking like she was made of rags instead of scales. All Feebas looked like they lived in the mud all their life, which was true; Segan's sister had fished her out of a muddy section of the river because she had wandered into it. Her species also was born with a dimwitted expression that made them look stupid. She had managed to phase the dimwitted look out of her somehow, but she still looked filthy and ugly, and only knowing two moves that were **any** good didn't help her appearance of being 'useless'. All day that he had trained at the beach with her, passing by trainers had marveled at the team he had. They all complimented Harold, Ivan, Kora, Roran, and Sara about how strong they were and how cool they looked.

Then they saw him with her, and those same trainers laughed and called her ugly and useless. All because of how she looked, and because all she could do was Tackle and Flail.

"**What good am I to our trainer, I'm just a useless… ugly… fish!"** Coral said to herself, and each painful word she described herself with just hammered her down with more force than the one before it did.

Sara was silent as she stared and watched Coral, before sighing, getting up, and walking back over to the campfire to their trainer.

Coral looked away from the group and stared out at the empty sky, wondering why she had to be the way she was._***Why couldn't I have been born as a cool Pokemon… like a Snorunt…***_ She thought bitterly, remembering the Froslass Segan had. _***Some Pokemon are lucky… and then there's the really unlucky ones like me…***_

The night went on as Jacob and Karen gossiped with their teams by the campfire. Coral would have joined them if she could, but she preferred to stay in the water for now. Jacob had come over to ask if she was alright, and she gave her best nod and assured him she was alright.

She was always very friendly with him, not only for his kindness but also for believing in her, if she said she was fine then he never doubted her. All she wanted was to repay him for everything he'd done for her so far. He took care of her, raised her, fed her, helped her with training, and didn't think of her as 'ugly' or 'useless' like every other trainer they met seemed to think. Sure Karen seemed to like her, but it wasn't the same as her trainer's approach. Heck, Jacob was willing to put himself in harm's way just to help her **practice** her feeble attacks.

That was when she saw something that none of the others noticed because of their conversations and food.

Up there in the dark night sky, a single star appeared, shining just brightly enough that it could be seen instantly.

She looked quickly at the other and, once confirming that she was the only one who spotted it first, quickly closed her eyes and wished. It was just an old story that Jacob once shared with them during their first few days here in Dewford, about how if you are the first one to spot the first star of any night, and you wish upon it, that wish will some day in the very near future, come true.

If her trainer said it would come true, then she would give it a try. _***Please, first star I see upon this night… please grant me my one single wish.***_ She thought to herself. _***Please make me stronger… I don't care if I never evolve or if I'm stuck using Tackle the rest of my life… please just make me stronger so I can be of use to Jacob while I'm on this team! That's all I want… to be something more than just an ugly fish…***_

After she made her wish she looked up at the sky and saw there were now more stars in the night sky, including the one she had wished upon, and more were appearing every few seconds, but that didn't matter to Coral as Jacob and Karen called that it was time for them all to sleep and began recalling them back into their balls.

She had made her wish. Now all she had to do was wait, and hope it came true.

=Poochyena Racing=

_*Jacob to Arky*_

_*While waiting for the ferry, I remembered one of your lessons that said it's not wise to spend every day training my team Arky. Pokemon are just like humans you said, and they sometimes want to have fun.*_

_*Well we definitely had some fun while waiting here in Dewford, many bored trainers had begun creating these silly little events starting several years back, and they became a sort of tradition for this small town.*_

_*The tradition is that with each new batch of trainers, whether coming from Route 104 or Slateport, they would create their own sort of games for their Pokemon to just have fun. Harold had a lot of fun when it came to the Leaf Hunting contest, and Kora and Roran really enjoyed playing Capture the Hat at my hat's expense. However I think the one member of my team that had the most fun was Ivan in the infamous Poochyena Race!*_

_*Yup, as the name suggests, because almost every trainer here has at least ONE Poochyena with them, it was an exclusive contest for our pooches to participate in. Naturally Ivan had fun, but as you taught me about them and their Pack mentality, he took the game a little more seriously than the rest of my team did with the games they played in.*_

(Jacob's PoV)

"Okay here's the rules everyone, the Poochyena race is a simple three lap racing event up one side of the beach and back here!" The host called out, a girl with a pair of Mightyena beside her. "The first ten to cross the finish line gets a special Rare Candy treat!"

Jacob questioned why the first ten would get a prize, but after looking up and down along the line of trainers who were all holding or sitting next to their Poochyenas, it was no surprise that there would be so many possible winners. There had to be at least thirty or forty of the Poochyenas racing in this race.

"You ready Ivan?" Jacob asked the Poochyena he was holding.

"**Arf!"** Ivan barked confidently.

"Laura, you ready to show them how tough you really are?" Karen asked her Poochyena as Jacob put Ivan down.

"**Arf!"** Laura barked enthusiastically.

(Ivan's PoV)

"Alright Pooches, to the starting line!" A female trainer shouted as all of the Poochyena left their trainers to get into position at the starting line.

Ivan walked alongside Laura, Karen's Poochyena to the starting line, giving her a piercing glare even as she glared at him.

"**I am so beating you in this."** He whispered as they reached the starting position. **"Not going to let you beat me in front of my Alpha."**

"**We'll see about that, you forget my Alpha is also here!"** Laura snapped back. **"Just watch me win this thing!"**

As all the Poochyena stood at the starting line, waiting for the Mightyena to use their Roars and start the event.

There was silence before all the Alphas started counting down from ten. "FIVE… FOUR… THREE… TWO…" They shouted. "ONE!"

"**ROAAAAAAARW!"** The two Mightyena's roared loudly.

At the sounds of the roar, all the Poochyena took off at once and made their way down the beach toward the first destination, a large flag post embedded in the sand.

Ivan ran alongside Laura among the group of Poochyenas that were in the middle of the pack, and he saw that the two of them were quite evenly matched in terms of speed. As for endurance the only way that would be decided was later in the race. But he still couldn't resist the urge to taunt her as they ran; knowing that she had been boasting of her Alpha training her to outlast any other Pokemon they could meet!

"**Face it; I'm just as fast as you Laura!"** Ivan barked to Laura as the lead group of Poochyena made the first turn and started heading back toward the second flag set behind the starting line.

"**I'm just conserving my energy for the race!" **Laura barked as she and Ivan turned around the flag with the other.

"**We'll see about that!"** Ivan barked as they picked up their pace so they wouldn't be left behind by the rest of the pack.

As they neared the second flag the other Alphas started calling out their individual Poochyena's names, encouraging them to move faster and faster. "Come on Ivan!" Ivan heard his Alpha Jacob shout out.

"You can do it Laura!" Alpha Karen called out as they raced passed.

Spurred on by their alpha's calls all the Poochyena picked up their paces, rounding the second flag and heading toward the starting line for the second lap.

During the second lap many of the lead pack started getting further ahead, but those in the central pack that Ivan and Laura were racing in continued to battle for positioning. The two of them in particular were almost ignoring the other Poochyena around them as the race became a personal battle between him and Laura.

As they rounded the flag during the third lap of the race, Laura and Ivan picked up their paces and started pushing themselves even harder to get ahead of one another. Ivan was starting to get a little tired, but Laura alongside him was also breathing heavily.

"**Getting tired yet?"** Ivan barked as they fell behind another pair of Poochyena who were kicking up sand as they ran as hard as their paws could go.

"**Are you?"** Laura barked back as they saw the finish line ahead of them.

As they raced for the finish line, Ivan poured everything he had left and tried to pull ahead of Laura. Next to him Laura matched his pace and stayed nose to nose as they ran across the finish line side by side!

Meanwhile all the alphas were cheering and running to their respective Poochyenas, who in turn were eagerly prancing or bouncing with joy at the sight of their alphas. Ivan and Laura ran back to their alphas Jacob and Karen to see who the winner was.

"**Did I win?"** Ivan barked at Jacob as he picked up and gave him a scratch behind the ear.

"It wasn't about winning Ivan; it was about having fun and running around!" Jacob said after Sara translated for him. "Besides, you and Laura were tied the entire time."

"Man Laura, I didn't think you could move that fast!" Karen said to Laura, giving her a scratch behind her ears. "Now that's my girl!"

"Well you guys didn't win the Rare Candies, but I think that race deserves a special treat, right Karen?" Jacob said to Karen.

"Yep, I think we can treat our puppies to some ice cream after all that running!"

"**Ice Cream!" **Ivan and Laura barked out happily, completely forgetting their rivalry through the entire race.


End file.
